Kingdom Hearts Alternate: The Sequel
by Chatting Airborne
Summary: Axel's life appears cloudy as everyone else's is just beginning to brighten up. But, when the 'happy ending' attained before is shattered, it is apparent that something big is lurking underneath its surface, and everyone will have to choose their allies wisely- especially Axel.
1. A New Brother

**Hello! I am back again with a (semi) new fanfic! Well, this isn't really new, because technically it's an addition to the original story line of this fanfic, but I count it as a sequel. Due to the immense success of my last fanfic, I have decided that it is my duty to continue the story line (because I love these characters so much), so please enjoy!**

**Prologue:**

Hojo's footsteps echoed as he speed-walked down the hallways of Shinra Electric. His breathing was slightly ragged, and he clutched a small folder to his heart as he continued to race down the hall. When he came to a door labeled 'meeting room', he stopped abruptly. Then, taking in a deep breath, he put his hand on the door knob, turned it, and sauntered into the room. Hojo suddenly shrank back at the unusual coldness of the room, and the difference in the atmosphere around him. He felt like he was in the lion's den.

"S-sir?" Hojo croaked, looking around the dark room, trying to make out a shape.

"Hello Hojo." Came a voice from behind him, and he whirled around, lifting his hand in the air to strike the figure standing behind him, who's voice he did not recognize. The figure caught his hand quickly, and put it down slowly, but with immense force that made Hojo's breath stop.

"For pity's sakes, Hojo. Learn to relax." The voice chuckled, forcing Hojo back into the room. Hojo almost tripped as he reached behind him to find the meeting table.

"Um. I do not recognize you. Are you...?"

"Yes, Hojo. You do not have to tell me who I am. I despise unnecessary loudness."

"Um, I apologize, but I have never seen you in _person _like this before. In all our previous, um, _transactions, _I have only had contact with your, um…"

"My _ambassador."_

"Um, yes. May I ask, where he is, right now?" Hojo said uncomfortably, looking around the room, half expecting the man in question to jump out of the shadows. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw something stirring, and he whirled around to see a figure coming towards him very slowly. The lights turned on in the room, and the figure, decked out in all black with deep red stripes down his arms and legs and a black helmet covering his face and head, winced a little bit. The man behind Hojo chuckled as the figure moved closer to them, enclosing Hojo between itself and the man behind Hojo.

"You do not like to be exposed, do you?" The man said, seating himself at the head of the table. The figure kept standing, even as Hojo sat down beside the man.

"Does, does he want to…?" Hojo trailed off, pointing to the standing black figure. The man at the head of the table shook his head.

"He can stay standing. Now, Hojo, what is it that you wanted to speak to me about?" The man drawled, looking straight into Hojo's eyes. Hojo looked away, but still felt the man's stare on him.

"The Investigation Bureau is onto us." Hojo said suddenly, and his breathing began to change again.

"Again?" the mysterious man chuckled, as if it were nothing. Hojo shook his head quickly, breathing harder.

"No, no. It's different this time. They're actually building a case- on _me. _They know about the experiments- and the intimidation." Hojo said quickly, glancing at the man beside him every few seconds. The man seemed more serious than he had been before, and he stroked his chin, sighing to himself.

"That is a problem. What do you want from me Hojo? Tell me quickly."

Hojo sighed in relief, but held his breath suddenly as the last bit of air was about to escape his lungs. Then he spoke again.

"I need your help. I want you to get them off my tracks, I want you to help me if I do happen to go to court- if you do, I'll pay you back a million times over. Just help me."

The man looked up at the ceiling, and then back at the black figure abruptly. "Who is in charge of the investigation?" He said slowly, as if formulating a plan in his mind.

Hojo snorted, smiling bitterly. "The former Turk."

The man looked up in wonder. "How did he leave the organization? I thought the only way those people left Shinra, was by body bag."

Hojo looked uncomfortable, and suddenly eyed the door, before forcing his eyes back on the man beside him. He shrugged. "I suppose it was a slip in security." He croaked, and the man beside him pursed his lips, sighing in agitation.

"Well, then it looks like this little 'investigation' has all plumed from a little 'slip in security'. The past comes back to haunt, Hojo, if you allow it. And you are going to allow it."

A whimper almost escaped Hojo's throat. He did not want to go to jail. "What do you mean I am 'going to allow it'?" Hojo snarled, looking at the ground. "I can't do anything about it!"

The man looked at Hojo again. "No, you cannot do anything about it Hojo. But that is your fault. You are not in the capacity to find the means to do something about it. You never have been, and you never will. You are a genius, but you are an idiot."

Hojo's shoulders fell, and he looked down at his hands in agitation.

"But I can do something about it."

Hojo looked up in amazement, and saw that the man was smiling slightly. Hojo gave himself a minute to process the information, and then stood up quickly, bowing deeply to the man in front of him. The man did not stop him, but he looked irritated.

"Well, thank you sir. Thank you very, very much. I am forever indebted to you." Hojo said, chuckling and shaking at the same time. The man looked up at him again.

"Yes, you are." He said darkly, and Hojo pursed his lips, deciding not to try and figure out what the man meant. He began to walk out of the room, when he heard the man cough.

"Hojo?" The man asked quietly, and Hojo turned to look at him again. The black figure had moved beside the man, who was still sitting down.

"Yes?"

"Your son."

Hojo looked back in confusion. "Yes, what about my son?"

"How is he?"

"How is Sephiroth?"

The man nodded, looking off into space. Hojo shrugged.

"He's in jail for involvement in a building scandal, rape charges, and his involvement with Shinra Electric. I have not spoken to him ever since he lived under my roof a few years ago."

"How long will he be in jail?"

"A pretty long time, sir."

The corners of the man's mouth turned up a little, but he was not smiling. "Pity." He said quietly.

And Hojo left.

…..

Roxas walked along side Axel, licking a sea salt ice cream. Every few minutes, he would steal a glance at the man, who seemed to look a little bit more tired now. It had been two years since his dad had died, and two years since he'd moved into his family's old house in Disney Town. Things were easier on Axel now, now that he didn't have to pay rent for an apartment anymore, but having another person living with him seemed to be slowly taking its toll on Axel. He had never had to look after someone in this way until now. Axel rubbed his eyes, and smiled at Roxas.

"You okay?" Roxas asked, and Axel shrugged.

"Yeah, I'm just a bit tired." He mumbled, looking off into the distance. Roxas smiled slightly, and suddenly, he remembered Xigbar's wedding. The horrible discomfort of lying, completely naked, with his legs apart, right in front of Axel. The vulnerability. Roxas shivered a little bit, and Axel looked at him with curiosity. "Something wrong?" Axel said quietly, and Roxas shook his head.

"No, I just got the chills. I don't know why."

Axel chuckled, and suddenly put his arm around Roxas' shoulder. Even though it had been two years since the incident, Roxas' heart still gave a tiny jump when Axel surprised him like that. It had been terrible a year ago, when Axel finally got up the courage to touch Roxas again. Roxas would pull away suddenly without even realizing it, and then it went down to just a jerk in his shoulders, and now it was just internal. He wanted things to go back to the way they used to be with Axel, and he wanted to forget what had happened, because it was embarrassing to remember. But sometimes it made Roxas wonder. Would he have enjoyed it eventually if Axel had continued? Would it have turned out to be a better thing to do than trying to leave things the way they were?

Roxas scratched the back of his head, sighing. He shouldn't have made the promise to Axel at all. In a weird way, he felt guilty for not going through with the whole thing. It had all made Axel more cautious and nervous around Roxas- like he was handling something incredibly fragile.

Roxas looked up and noticed that Axel was looking straight at him. Roxas' eyes trailed up to meet Axel's, and Axel suddenly looked away, blushing. Then, Axel cleared his throat loudly, and smiled as broadly as he could.

"Well!" he said, looking around him. "Great day this is! Actually, I've been meaning to ask you, what are you gonna do now that summer is coming around? You got any colleges in mind yet?" He added brightly, and Roxas shrugged.

"Yeah, I got a lot of acceptance letters, I just gotta sort out scholarships. It's funny; Namine keeps telling me that if I need any help financially with my decision, she's 'always there'. She loves giving away her money, now. But she looks after Xion. She does anything for Xion, because Xion is so nice to her." Roxas said, grinning. Then his smile faded. "I think Xion was the first one to actually truly care about Namine. And, I guess some could say it was because Namine was her provider, but I don't think that was it. I think Xion just genuinely really likes Namine. It makes me feel really guilty sometimes. I should've looked after her better. I should've looked after both of them better."

Axel shrugged. "It's fine. You were just a kid, you couldn't have done much. I was the adult. I should've helped her when she needed it. But I was too selfish to see past my own nose." Axel said, grinning at Roxas. Roxas chuckled.

"You, selfish? Axel, where'd you get that idea?"

Axel suddenly wrapped his arm around Roxas' neck, and gave Roxas a noogie. Roxas yelped in pain, and Axel laughed out loud, and then began to run off, letting Roxas chase after him.

"You asshole!" Roxas roared as he ran after Axel, who occasionally glanced behind his shoulder to see if Roxas was catching up. Roxas had always been faster than Axel, though, and he eventually caught up with the man, and tackled him to the ground. They both rolled around, laughing hard as they rough housed with one another. Then, they suddenly quieted down, and their laughs died down to a chuckle. They breathed heavily, looking straight into each other's eyes, and then Roxas looked down at Axel's body. He noticed that he was sitting on Axel's stomach, just a few centimeters away from Axel's crotch.

They both scrambled up, and darted away from each other, looking down at the ground. Axel folded his arms over his chest, trying to laugh. Roxas grinned uncomfortably. "Hey, that was the first time in ages that we've done that." He said, as if trying to allay the situation. Axel looked up at him with an unintelligible expression, and then he suddenly beamed. Then he looked around him.

"Heh. I was paying so much attention to you running after me that I didn't even notice where we were going. We're on your street already." He said distantly, and then he grinned. "And look who we've run into."

Roxas turned around to see what Axel was talking about, and it was as if Roxas' whole face lit up, he was so excited. Xion and Namine were walking down the road towards them, and apparently did not notice them yet. Roxas looked around, and suddenly ducked behind a trash can. Axel snickered at him, shaking his head. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked, and Roxas shushed him. "I want to surprise Xion. Shut up and don't tell her I'm here." Axel put his hands into his pocket.

"Well, it's pretty obvious, what with me talking to a trash can and all."

"Then shut up."

Axel shrugged, and looked back over at Xion and Namine. Both looked beautiful and charming, as usual, and a number of boys looked back at them as they walked by. They had both acquired new found confidence, and Axel found himself attracted to them too. He grinned at them both as they noticed him, and they waved at him, and sped up towards him.

When they got up beside him, Xion gave Axel a sudden hug, and kissed him on the cheek. Then she grinned back at him. "How's my hero?" she beamed, her hands still around Axel's waist. Axel looked away, not bothering to grin anymore. "Don't call me that." He mumbled, lowering his head. Xion loosened her hold around his waist, and then let her arms fall by her sides. She looked around suddenly, and then put her hands on her hips.

"Where's Roxas? You two are usually always together. You make a poor girl like me jealous." Axel nodded absentmindedly, trying to ignore the ache this brought up in his heart. Namine looked up at him as if examining him, and then looked back at Xion.

"Maybe he's out, Xion. Perhaps Axel's waiting for him too."

Xion pursed her lips. "I don't know, I think he's around here somewhere." She went right up to the trash can, but stopped in front of it and turned around, squinting off into the distance. Roxas sneaked out from behind the trash can, and leapt on Xion just as she turned back around, inadvertently kissing her on the lips. The two lingered for a while, and Axel chuckled, shaking his head, as Namine looked away, a tad bit embarrassed. Xion pulled away from Roxas a bit, who suddenly seemed to remember where he was, and turned the two of them back to everyone else, laughing nervously.

"Sorry, Xion, I just meant to kiss you on the neck, but then you turned around." He said, grinning. Xion shrugged, looking back at him with pinking cheeks. "I don't mind." She said quietly, and their eyes lingered on each other for a moment, before they addressed the two people in front of them. Axel sighed. "What a gross couple." He said loudly, laughing again. Roxas punched him on the arm, laughing too, and then slid his arm around Xion's waist, as they began to walk up the front steps. Axel looked up after Roxas in confusion.

"Wait, I thought we were gonna go to the clock tower." Axel said slowly, eyeing Xion up and down. Roxas put his hand on his forehead, and then inhaled deeply. "Oh, gee, sorry Axel. I forgot to tell you that my parents wanted me home early today."

Axel looked closely at Roxas, and his eyebrows rose a little bit. "Why do they want you home?"

Roxas shrugged, scratching his head again. "They wanted to tell me something. My mom sounded really weird on the phone, kind of like she was only half there. Maybe I should be more worried." Roxas' eyebrows began to knit together, and Axel rolled his eyes.

"Don't you dare start to worry yourself again, Roxas, everything's gonna be alright." Xion said playfully, poking Roxas on the nose. Roxas laughed, and his shoulders loosened a little bit. Axel let out the breath he had been about to use to say along the lines of the same thing that Xion had just said. Except it seemed like Xion said it better than Axel would have, because Roxas didn't fake smile like he used to with Axel when he was worried, she genuinely loosened him up, and it seemed like he felt like he didn't have to try to act like everything was 'fine' around her. Axel caught his lower lip moving out into a pout, and he pursed his lips, and then began to hum to stop himself. Roxas closed the door behind himself and Xion, and Axel turned to Namine.

"So, do you need someone to walk you home?" He said politely, remembering what Roxas had said about his guilt for not looking after Namine better.

Namine nodded. "That would be nice."

The two walked in silence for the first five minutes, and Axel tried to subtly watch Namine out of the corner of his eye. She seemed much happier than she had been two years ago. She walked straighter and taller, and she seemed a little more fearless. Axel smiled a little.

"Do you want to go up to the clock tower with me?" Axel said abruptly, and Namine sighed. Then, she shook her head slowly.

"Oh, Axel. I would love to go with you, but I have to get ready for a date with Leon."

Axel looked up at the sky in irritation, and chuckled. "I am just getting _rejected_ today." He said, shaking his head. Namine took it seriously, putting her hands on either side of her face.

"I'm really sorry. You see, he asked me a few nights ago, and I like him an awful lot and-"

Axel gave her a quick hug. "Namine, I was just joking. Relax. It's nice that you're going out with him." He lied, looking away. Axel didn't get along very well with Leon. He had settled with himself that they just had personalities that exploded when mixed together. They were too different. "Do you really like him?" He added quietly. Namine nodded, blushing.

"He makes me feel very safe. I know he'd look after me- but only if I really _needed _it. He gives me the space I need to become independent, too, though, which is good for me." She added, laughing softly. Axel smiled.

"That's good." He said dully, and turned onto the street that lead to Namine's mansion. "Well, here we are." He drawled, and looked down at Namine. "Would you like me to walk you to the door, madam?" he said warmly, taking her hand in his. Namine beamed. "Yes, good knight." She chirped, and Axel lead her to her front gate (which she had to unlock for him) and then up to her front door. Axel bowed, and Namine curtsied, and she said goodbye, waving to him as she closed her front door behind her.

Axel sighed, looking after her a bit, and then started to walk away, snickering in irritation. He tried to think of what he had to do that night, stretching his shoulders over his head. Then he put his hand in his pocket, drawing out his phone. "Let's see if I have any messages."

Axel paused to look through them, and he sighed in deep irritation when he noticed he had over ten new messages, all from Selphie. There were two voicemails.

'_Hey sexy tiger. Can I come have a sleep over with you tonight? XOXO. Ur sex kitten wants you. –Selph '_

Axel decided to opt out on reading the rest. He shook his head, and closed his phone. Selphie was alright to mess around with, but in any other scenario, she was stifling. She always wanted to know where he was or if she could 'sleep over'. Things were different now that he had Lea with him. He couldn't just make Lea sleep over with Isa every night of the week, or his parents would get irritated. They didn't like Axel to begin with anyway, after his involvement with Saix going to jail. And Axel didn't feel comfortable having sex with a girl a few years older than Lea with him just on the other side of the wall. He cringed at the idea.

He decided to chance listening to his voicemails. The first one was from Selphie.

"_Alright, baby. I just wanted to ask you if I could come over to your place tonight. But you're not answering your texts, so I figured I'd just call you instead, but you're not answering your phone either. So, I'm feeling really lonely right now and I noticed that we haven't had sex in like, five days. Okay maybe three days, but I'm just getting worried that you're growing distant. I wanna make it up to you, so I'm gonna bring a few surprises with me tonight. I'm gonna come over, and if you're not there, I'll officially be worried. But, if you are there, we can make up properly, okay? Love ya to bits! Bye! Kisses! Selph"_

Axel groaned, and rubbed his eyes. The second message was from Lea.

"_Hey, ugly, I'm staying over at Isa's tonight so have fun with Selphie."_

Axel narrowed his eyes, and pressed the end call button on his phone, ending the voice mail call. "Bratty little piece of shit." He muttered to himself as he walked over to the train station. Him and Lea, even after two years of trying to understand each other (honestly, though, Axel had attempted most of the understanding bit); had both found out that they could not understand one another. So, Axel just tried to subtly guide Lea through life as much as he could, with as little social contact as possible. At least Lea understood Axel's world, though.

Axel sighed as he got on the train to Disney City. There were few free seats, and Axel sat down. But, the next stop, a pregnant woman boarded the train, so Axel gave up his seat for her. Axel sighed as the conductor announced his stop, and he looked at the ground beneath him as he hopped off the train. Then, he made his way home, trying not to think. To his surprise and dismay, Selphie was waiting at the door for him. He let out a deep breath through his nostrils, and rolled his eyes.

"Selphie, I don't want you waiting for me on my doorstep anymore. I got your message."

"Then why didn't you call me back?" She snapped, and then sighed, trying to smile as if nothing was wrong. "I just wanted to see you. Is it so wrong for a gal to want to see her boyfriend?" She gushed, throwing herself around Axel. She began to nibble at his ear, and rub her thighs against his.

"Fuck, Selphie. At least wait till I get in the front door." He mumbled in agitation, and Selphie giggled loudly.

"I can't help it Axel, I want you so bad I can't stand it." Then she leaned in closer to him. "Let's skip dinner and just go to bed, okay?" She drawled, and Axel shrugged, opening the door. He had barely got it closed behind him, when Selphie began to empty the bag in her arms. It had an assortment of sex toys in it, and Axel whipped his head around, as if Lea was going to come running down the stairs, or he would find his dad shaking his head in the doorway.

"Selphie, where the hell did you get this stuff?" Axel barked, grabbing the stuff and shoving it back in the bag. Selphie pouted, folding her arms over her chest.

"You're such a drip now, Axel. Ever since you moved into this new house, you never do anything fun with me anymore."

Axel breathed out quickly. "That was because then, I was living in a little apartment by myself. Now, I'm living in my parent's house with a kid."

Selphie looked away from him. "I don't see any of them around." She said quietly, and then began to tear up. "I just wanted to make it up to you; I thought you'd like this stuff." She wiped at her eyes, and Axel stifled a groan, going over to her and holding her head in his hands.

"We can have sex, any way you want, how about that? Whatever way you want it, I'll have it." He said, looking into her eyes. She smiled. "Really?" She said in wonder. Axel nodded. Then, he began to kiss her, letting her work her tongue into his mouth and pull him closer to her. Selphie backed Axel over to the couch, and threw him down on it, lowering herself over him, and settling onto his lap. Then, she began to kiss him harder, letting her tongue move around the inside of his mouth. "Kiss me back Axel." She growled as she pressed her fingers into the crevices on either side of Axel's body, between Axel's hips and his lower stomach. He took a sharp breath in, and pulled her closer to himself, kissing her hard as their tongues began to touch.

As he parted his lips from her mouth, he felt Selphie playing with the top of Axel's pants, trailing her fingers over his stomach and then her forefinger inside the top of his pants. He could feel it trailing right above his member, brushing over his pubic hair slightly, and he felt in between his thighs beginning to heat up. Selphie giggled as Axel kissed her neck, trailing his tongue down it and onto her collar bone. "I can feel you getting hard." She sighed, and then she suddenly stuck her hand down into Axel's pants, and grabbed his penis. Axel gave a startled yelp, and Selphie's mouth formed an 'o' shape. Then she laughed as Axel put his hands over his face, and then moved his fingers through his hair. "You're such a woman now, Axel. It seems like I'm doing all the work now."

That irritated Axel, and he frowned at Selphie, narrowing his eyes. Then he smirked, grabbing her by the waist and reaching up under her shirt, until he'd pushed her bra up and was playing with her nipple. She began to breathe harder, and gulped back a sigh. Axel leaned in close to her ear, sighing into it on purpose, and then snickering. "Who's the woman now?" he drawled, and kissed her on the ear. Then, he grabbed her by the hips, and twisted her around so that she was lying on the couch and he was over her, his palms down by either side of her head. He took her shirt and bra off, and she took his shirt off of him. They began to kiss again, and Selphie rubbed her knee in-between Axel's legs. Axel sucked in a breath, and then slowly reached his hand under the leg line of Selphie's knickers, stroking her labia. Selphie moaned slightly, nuzzling her head in the crook of Axel's neck. Then, Axel pushed apart Selphie's legs, and draped her over his lap, pushing her skirt up to the top of her waist. As he began to kiss her collar bone again, he moved his fingers in-between the lips of her vagina, and then slowly pushed them up inside her. Selphie moaned, and threw her arms around Axel's shoulders, letting her lips rest on his jaw line, and kissing it again and again. Axel smiled slightly, even though Selphie could not see it. He felt good again.

He moved his fingers around inside Selphie, and watched her quiver as he played with her. Then, he closed his eyes when he felt her reach inside his pants, and stroke him gently, moving her fingers up and down slowly. "Do you mind…?" he breathed, and Selphie nodded.

As Axel moved into a kneeling position, Selphie readjusted herself, and stroked Axel's thighs. Then, she trailed her tongue up and down Axel's member, until she let her tongue rest on its tip. She was just about to stick it in her mouth, when Axel heard the lock on the door unclick. "Get off." He said suddenly, and Selphie looked up at him in horror. "What'd I do?" She said, kissing the inside of Axel's thigh. "You know I'm the best!" She added, and then she bit the tip of it slightly and squeezed Axel's ass, just as Lea stormed in the front door.

"Sorry, Axel, I forgot my underwear, I hope I'm not interr…" Lea trailed off, and stared in horror at the scene in front of him. Axel stayed frozen in surprise, and Selphie continued to hold Axel's right ass cheek, resting her head in-between his thighs. Then, everything seemed to happen at the same time.

"Oh, holy go-!" Lea barked, backing towards the door in shock. Axel suddenly leapt of the couch, and tripped as Selphie tried to hold onto him. As if sensing that she was not entirely properly attired, Selphie pulled her skirt back over her ass, and patted the creases out of it before sitting back down on the couch politely. Axel stood up from the floor, shouting for Lea to wait. Lea shook his head in disgust. "No fucking way am I gonna wait to see your hairy ass! Get that thing away from me!" He added, throwing a book from his backpack at Axel's stomach as he raced for the stairs. Axel caught the book in his hand, and then threw it on the ground in a rage. "Fuck!" He bellowed, storming back over to the couch and putting his clothes back on. Selphie looked worried. "Does this mean…?"

"Selphie, not right now." Axel barked, then added "and put your damn shirt on!" Selphie obeyed with surprising speed. When Lea ventured back down the stairs (being sure to ask if the coast was clear before he went), he didn't even look at Axel (though he did take a peep at Selphie, who waved at him quite amicably). Axel had his hands folded in front of him, and he sat stock straight. When Lea left, he slumped over, putting his head in his hands. Selphie patted him on the shoulder, and then leaned into his ear.

"We can move this upstairs if you want." She said in a hopeful voice, and Axel sighed, nodding. They went upstairs, but Axel was not in the mood anymore. They did it once before Selphie decided that she wanted to go home, and left in a huff. Axel then took a shower, and went down to watch junk TV shows until 3 o'clock in the morning with nothing but his boxers on and a blanket wrapped around him.

Lea played video games with Isa till 2 o'clock, and then tried to fall asleep, blushing to himself as he imagined Selphie naked, and wrinkling his nose as he tried to delete Axel from his metal picture. All in all, a lovely night for all parties.

…..

Roxas waved back at Axel and Namine as he shut the front door behind him and Xion. Immediately, he heard the commotion in the living room, and he furrowed his eyebrows together, and scratched the back of his head. He heard his mother's slightly frantic but excited voice, and an unfamiliar man's voice talking calmly about some paper work that she had to sign. When Roxas peeped into the living room, he gasped, noticing that it wasn't just his mother and the lawyer. There was a whole news crew, with cameras and filming equipment all set up, filming his mother.

His father was sitting beside his wife, looking off into the distance absentmindedly. Then, Roxas noticed another person sitting on the other side of his mother, beside the lawyer. He had the same blond color hair as Roxas did, and it was even in the same style. Roxas unconsciously squeezed Xion's waist, and she patted him on the shoulder, asking him what the matter was. Roxas shook his head, wondering if this was all a weird dream. Then, the boy turned around to look at him. It was like looking in a mirror.

Roxas swayed a little bit, and Xion caught him, barking for help. The news crew swiveled their cameras over so that they were facing Roxas, who tried to gulp back what he feared was coming back up his throat. Then, his mother noticed him too.

"Darling!" She chirped, running over and hugging him tightly, with tears in her eyes. Then, she started to shake her head. "I'm sorry you had to come in when things were like this. We planned on telling you quietly, but then the news station came, and we were all so happy and bewildered at the same time. We've already sorted out the legal stuff, but the news station has asked us to re-enact what we said in the meeting- but of course, only the non-confidential stuff" she added with a wink, and then continued "So, maybe you'd want to go up and rest now, darling, clear your head? I know this must be really odd and frightening for you to see. Xion, could you take him upstairs and make sure he's alright?"

Xion nodded, and slowly directed Roxas upstairs. The news station interviewer ran up to him and tried to talk to him, but Xion shielded him from the man's questions. "Please, be patient with Roxas." She said gently. "This is all very strange for him and he's not taking things particularly well, he needs to lie down for a little while."

The news man tried to follow Xion up the stairs, but Roxas' father stopped him, telling him to 'leave the boy alone' and let him rest. The news man nodded, and started to ask Roxas' mother about the mysterious and beautiful young lady who had walked through the door.

Xion chuckled as she opened the door to Roxas' bedroom, shaking her head as she sat him down on his bed. "There you go." She said gently, kissing him on the cheek. After a pause, Roxas suddenly wrapped his arms around the back of her neck, pulling her closer to him. She teetered, and fell on top of him as he began to kiss her savagely, pulling her in towards him sharply, and then out again slowly. Xion tried to back away, but he put his arms around her tighter, and held her head closer to him with his hand. Xion gasped for breath, and pinched Roxas on the side. This only made him sigh, and his brows furrowed up again, as if he was trying not to think about something. Xion took the moment to address him.

"Roxas, what the hell is wrong with you? I don't want this right now, I don't know what's gotten into you." She said with tears in her eyes. He looked so pained.

Then, Roxas opened his eyes to look at her, stroking the sides of her face, and then he pulled her closer to him, and gave her a tight hug. "I'm so sorry, Xion. I- I just don't understand what's going on right now. I don't know why I feel so upset. It's just kind of creepy, I don't know… When that boy turned around… it was like my reflection." He faltered at the end, and looked off into space. Xion patted him on the face to bring him back to, and then got off of his lap and lied down beside him, kissing him on the cheek. "Come on, crybaby. We've been through worse than this, haven't we?"

Roxas chuckled sadly, shaking his head. "I'm so sorry that I didn't go after you. That's the only thing I regret."

To this, Xion sighed, rolling her eyes. "Roxas, you know full well that that is not your only regret. You have a lot of 'regrets' that aren't even your fault. You need to stop blaming every bad thing on yourself. It was not your fault."

"Then whose fault was it?" Roxas snapped, folding his arms over his chest. Xion shook her head, sighing.

"I don't think it was anyone's fault. It's just the way things happened. I don't want to blame anyone for anything that happened to me. I don't want to hold onto the past like that, it has too many painful memories."

Roxas closed his eyes at this, sadly. Xion stroked his hair gently.

"And you remember, Roxas. My troubles started long before I met you. I've been having trouble ever since I was born."

Roxas looked up at her, with moistened eyes, and smiled, letting a tear escape his left eye. Xion wiped it away, and leaned into him again, kissing him. "And my troubles have ended now that I met you again." Roxas beamed at this, and pulled her closer to him again. There was a knock on his door, and Xion sat up beside him again, blushing slightly. "Come in." she said, and his father walked into the room. This surprised Roxas, as it was usually his mother who comforted him. It was obvious that his father was slightly uncomfortable, and Roxas smiled a little bit in spite of himself at his father's shaken stature.

"Um, son… I have something to tell you…" he said slowly, eyeing Xion. She began to stand up, but Roxas kept her hand in his so that she would not leave. Roxas' dad looked back at Roxas, as if appealing for help. Roxas let go of Xion's hand. She backed out of the room, waving to Roxas. "I'll see you tomorrow?" she said brightly, and Roxas nodded, sitting up in bed. "Bye Xion." He called after her as she left, and then he turned his attention to his father, who was twiddling with his thumbs aimlessly.

"S-son?" His father said suddenly, and Roxas looked straight at him.

"What is it that you wanted to tell me dad?"

Roxas' father sighed, and began. "You know how we told you when you were younger, that you were a twin?" Roxas nodded, feeling like he was certain that he knew where this was going.

"Well, we had thought that that other baby had died a few hours after being delivered, he was extremely weak, you see, and they were worried about him, so it was a shock, but it was reasonable and understandable when they told us he did not make it. I don't know the specifics or how she did it without anyone knowing, but one of the nurses took the baby, and ran away with it, keeping it for herself. So, the funeral that we had for our other son, and the coffin, were all empty. He doesn't even have the same name that we gave him." The father said absentmindedly, and then continued on, as if trying to get himself together.

"But, of course he wouldn't have the same name, since she named him when she took him. But, anyway, just a few weeks ago, the nurse died, and he was left with no more family. When they tried to find out what other family he could be sent to, they came across our records, and he took a blood test, and it turned out that he shares our DNA. So…"

"…I have a new brother." Roxas finished slowly, not entirely taking in the situation. He shivered slightly at the thought of it, but nodded affirmation, that he understood what his father had told him.

"Well, when you are ready to come down, I suspect the news station will have a few questions for you, so you'll probably have to talk to them."

Roxas nodded at this, and stood up at the same time that his father did. Then, they both made their way downstairs, Roxas trying to calm his heart, which seemed to be beating faster and faster.

"Here we are." His father muttered, as they entered the living room. The news men seemed to pounce on Roxas, and shoved the microphone in his face, smiling broadly at him.

"So Roxas, can you tell us what exactly you are feeling right now with the addition of a new brother to the family- an identical twin, of all things?"

Roxas shrugged, squinting from the huge umbrella light that was shining onto him. "I don't really know what to feel. It's like looking at a reflection. I, I just don't know what to feel right now…"

The news caster nodded understandingly. "I see I see… Ventus, what are your thoughts on the situation?"

The boy identical to Roxas looked up serenely, smiling, though he looked a little bit worried. "Well, I think I'm in the same boat. But, in a way, I feel like it's harder for me, because I've been thrust into a whole new world, and I am being told that this is my new family. I'm sure I will grow to love these people, but I just don't know what to think right now." The boy shrugged, and Roxas looked at him in wonder. He was a very handsome boy, and he was very charming. In an odd way, Roxas felt a little bit intimidated by him. He had the strange feeling that this boy might be his new better half.

They interviewed Roxas and Ventus a little more, and Roxas found himself mumbling most of his answers shyly, contrary to Ventus' open, seemingly flawless character.

"Let's get a picture of you two hugging." The cameraman said suddenly, and Ventus moved closer to Roxas, smiling slightly. Roxas put his hand on Ventus' shoulder, a little bit uncomfortably, and Ventus put his hand on Roxas' waist at first, and then let it trail up Roxas' back until his hand rested on Roxas' shoulder. Roxas heard Ventus chuckle. "Sorry, I'm used to holding a woman." The boy said, and Roxas frowned, wondering if Ventus meant his old mother, or if he was getting at something else, but the camera man signaled for him to smile before he could think about it at all.

Roxas tried to smile, but he knew it looked fake, because he was not feeling happy on the inside at all. He felt weird. He was sure that Ventus' smile was perfect.

But, he sucked in a deep breath, and looked back at Ventus, who had taken his hand off Roxas' shoulder. Roxas took his hand off Ventus' shoulder then, too, and ran his fingers through his hair, blushing a tiny bit.

Ventus looked him up and down, and then smirked. Then, he walked back over to Roxas' mother. Roxas was shocked. He didn't know what was up with this boy. He stole a quick glance around him to see if anyone else had noticed the boy's expression just then, but no one was paying attention at all.

Roxas sighed, and went into the kitchen, deciding to get himself some dinner. He looked at the clock again, and gasped with surprise when he noticed that the clock read that it was 8 o'clock already. It had felt like thirty minutes, but everything that had happened had spanned 3 hours. He shook his head in disbelief, and then put on an egg for himself.

Roxas hunted through the fridge for some bell peppers and onions, and celery, and poked around hoping to find some leftover chicken from the night before. He whisked the egg in a little bowl, and chopped up the vegetables, enough for himself and his mother and father, and Ventus, to have some if they wanted it. Then, he sautéed a small portion of the vegetables and chicken for himself, whilst he poured the whisked egg into a separate pan.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Ventus coming into the room, and sitting down at the table. "Do you want some omelet?" he said politely, and Ventus nodded brightly, leaning forward and setting his elbows on the table, and putting his head in his hands. He sighed, and looked lazily on at Roxas, who had begun another portion of egg and vegetables. Roxas folded the vegetables and chicken into the first egg with cheese, and let it warm up for a moment before he took it out of the frying pan and set it on a plate for Ventus. Then he started making his own.

Ventus looked down at the food happily. "This looks really good, Roxas." He said brightly, and began to eat the food. Roxas looked over at him, and noticed that he didn't have a drink.

"Do you want some juice?" Roxas asked, pointing to the fridge, and Ventus nodded. Roxas got him a drink, and set it down in front of Ventus as he seated himself across from the boy with his own food. Ventus looked straight at him as he cut his omelet, and then smiled.

"Roxas, I think you forgot to turn the stove top off." He said quietly, and Roxas slapped his hand to his forehead.

"Oh, shit, you're right. I totally forgot." He said, going back to the stove and turning the dials to off. He chuckled as he moved back to his seat across from Ventus, settling into his food again.

"With all this crazy stuff going on, it's hard trying to keep my brain in check, you know?" Roxas said brightly, smiling at Ventus. Ventus nodded, half listening.

Roxas sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I'm really sorry about what happened to your mother. I'm sorry about the whole thing." Ventus forced a grin. "It's not your fault. You don't have to be sorry about anything."

Roxas shrugged, and laughed a little bit. "Yeah, I guess so." He looked up, and met Ventus' eyes. Their eyes lingered on each other, and the corner of Ventus' mouth turned up just a little bit, as if he was daring Roxas to keep looking. Roxas began to feel uncomfortable, and he looked away abruptly, coughing a little bit and mumbling about how late it was getting.

A few minutes later, Roxas' mother came in. She set her hands on her hips playfully, and nudged Roxas in the arm. It irritated Roxas a little, because she only got like this when they had 'special guests' that she felt like she needed to impress. "Well, Roxas! You are a model son, aren't you? Taking care of yourself first, and leaving us to fend for ourselves." She joked a little over dramatically, winking. Roxas chuckled, a tad bit irritated.

"At least I'm independent." He muttered, looking at the clock again. It was 8:30. His mother laughed, and Roxas pointed to the fridge. "I cut up some vegetables, and there's some chicken and eggs in the fridge if you want to have an omelet." Roxas' father nodded, and began on his own, and Roxas' mother sat down beside Ventus.

"So, how was your trip here?" she said in excitement, looking at Ventus affectionately. Ventus smiled warmly at her.

"It was fine, it was a long way to come, but I enjoyed it."

"Now where was it that you used to live again, darling?"

Ventus looked up at Roxas, and then back at his mother. "I lived in the Land of Departure."

Roxas' mother sucked in a breath, nodding vigorously. "That is a ways away, even though it is in the same region as us. Nibelheim is actually closer to us than the Land of Departure is, did you know that?"

Roxas' father looked back at his wife as he sat down at the table, taking a sip from his glass of water. "I don't know if it's quite that far."

Roxas' mother nodded to herself. "I remember when Roxas was working and going to school over there. We thought that he was going to make a way for himself when he started moving rank so fast. At first you were just cleaning crew for the hotel, weren't you?"

Roxas sighed. "Mom, I worked in the offices in the Land That Never Was. I was an apprentice for the Company."

His mother nodded her head slowly, as if mulling things over in her mind. "Oh, right, right, right."

Ventus took a breath, and then smiled. "That's funny that you were over there that whole time, just a small distance away from me. The two towns are pretty close."

Roxas nodded. "Yeah, it is."

"I used to go to the old Academy there, when I was younger. Before it got shut down. Did you know that Castle Oblivion- the hotel- was built from it when it shut down? They knocked down a bit of it, but it's just funny to pass by it and see the resemblance… of course, now the hotel is shut down, too. I don't know if it's temporary or permanent, though."

"It's permanent." Roxas chuckled, with a slightly bitter tone of voice. Roxas' father was very interested.

"Wait, the old Land of Departure Academy? Under Master Eraqus? That was one of the most renowned Academies of the day just a few years back. It was particularly good for helping financially strained children, wasn't it?"

Ventus nodded, a little sad. "Master Eraqus wanted to give everyone an equal chance, no matter where they came from."

"Why did it shut down again?"

Ventus shrugged. "Some financial scandal. Some high up sued and caused a whole big scandal about the school stealing money or something, and Eraqus was ousted from almost every honorary and associational position he had- anywhere."

"Wow. He lost everything?"

Ventus nodded, staring down at his empty plate. "The whole thing was a lie, and everyone knew it."

"Then why did the school shut down?" Roxas ventured, wondering. Ventus looked up at him from under his eye lashes, and smirked a little.

"Because someone played dirty."

Roxas looked around uncomfortably, but no one else had seen the smirk besides him. His father was shaking his head, and his mother put her fist on the table.

"Terrible the way things happen like that. Every major institution is filled with corruption. It's the damn mob chasing us all wherever we go. I'm telling you." She started to clean the plates off the table, but her husband took over for her.

"Do you want me to show you two to your room?" she said brightly, and Ventus nodded.

She led them up the stairs, and Ventus carried his bags up with him, setting them down in Roxas' room when his mother opened the door.

"There. Maybe we'll get you your own bed, but money's a tad bit tight right now, we've been trying to save up for Roxas next year."

Ventus shook his head. "It's fine. I don't mind at all."

Roxas' mother nodded, and left the room so that the two could get ready for bed. Roxas sighed, and picked up his bed clothes, getting ready to leave the room. Ventus smirked again.

"What are you doing?" he asked, and Roxas turned around again.

"I'm just gonna go get ready for bed." Roxas said, discomfort creeping in at him. Ventus shrugged.

"You don't have to leave the room. We're brothers now. It's fine."

Roxas nodded, reasoning with himself that they _were _brothers; it wasn't like he was sleeping with another random person. He sighed, and began to take his shirt off, and then his pants, when he noticed Ventus looking at him. Roxas looked up at him, and folded his arms in front of him.

"What're you looking at?" He snapped, and Ventus shrugged. "It's just weird. You look exactly like I do."

Roxas' shoulders relaxed a little bit, and he pulled his night shirt over his head, and then his night pants.

"But, you know, I can understand why you'd be nervous. I mean, I don't even _feel _like you're my brother. It's like you're just _myself _except you're in front of me. I'm _hot_." He added mischievously, and Roxas whipped his head around. Ventus was grinning widely. It made Roxas shiver a little bit.

Roxas shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Ventus sighed. "Look, you and I know that we're never gonna feel like brothers. So let's just be friends instead. Really good friends."

Roxas nodded. "If you want." He said coldly, and Ventus' smile faded a little bit. Then, he tried to brighten up again. He had the same worried look on his face that Roxas got. "Well, you'll have to introduce me to all your friends tomorrow, so I can make some new ones. I'm sure that they're all really nice people. I need some new friends, since I've had to leave my old ones behind."

Roxas pursed his lips, feeling a twinge of guilt for the way he'd acted previously towards Ventus. "Yeah, I can do that."

Ventus lied down at the bed, looking up at the ceiling. "What are their names?"

Roxas scratched his head. "Well, there's Hayner, Pence, Olette. And Xion. And then there's Namine, Kairi, Sora, Riku, Selphie, Axel, and Lea, though Lea isn't very interested in our group. He's got his own friends."

Ventus nodded, and Roxas went on. "Then in Hollow Bastion there's Aerith, Leon, Yuffie, and Cid. And Loz and his brothers have just moved down here. So, there are them too. There are a lot of people that you need to meet."

Ventus nodded, and Roxas could see that he was excited. "I can't wait to get to know all of them. Maybe we could arrange a party." He said thoughtfully, and Roxas nodded. "Yeah, that'd be good."

Ventus sighed a little, and smiled, closing his eyes. "Maybe it'll be good for me to start over again. I can bury all my regrets."

Roxas was a little puzzled at this, but he shrugged it off, closing his eyes, too. Everything today had happened so fast, it was like a dream. It seemed like every weird thing happened to Roxas and his friends. Time would tell if the addition of this new kid to the family would be a fortunate or unfortunate occurrence. Until then, Roxas reasoned with himself, he'd just try not to worry about it. The last thing he needed was a new worry.


	2. Foreboding Trouble

**This is the longest chapter for a fan fiction I have ever written! But, I have enjoyed it immensely! Warning: Boy on boy in this chapter (and I don't just mean cuddles and kisses). Please, enjoy!**

Aerith woke up, stretching her arms up to the sky. Then, she turned around as slowly and as quietly as she could, so she didn't disturb Zack. Zack. She had dreamed about meeting him again for years, but she had set her own wants aside so she would not become sad over them, when Cid took her in. But now he was sleeping beside her. A strand of hair had fallen into his face, and Aerith pushed it back, humming softly to herself. Then, she let her hands trail from his hairline down to the underside of his jaw, as he stirred in his sleep. Slowly, his eyelashes fluttered, and then he opened his eyes, wincing a little bit with the sunlight. He smiled at her, and gave her a kiss.

"How are you, love?" he said, stretching his arms out. Then, he pulled Aerith closer to him and tucked her head under his chin. Aerith shrugged.

"I'm alright. I was just wondering about the wedding. Are you sure we're alright to have it?"

Zack furrowed his eyebrows at this, grinning a little in confusion. "What do you mean 'are we all right'? Do you want to call off the wedding now?"

Aerith shook her head, and put her arms around Zack's waist. "Of course not, I just mean financially. I don't know if we can do something this big with the job that you have right now. You're just working for the Restoration Committee right now- which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but…" Aerith shrugged. "I just wanted to say, that I can wait longer. I don't want us to have to go through anymore hardships if I can prevent it." Zack smirked at her, and grinned widely, turning away from her as if he was going to go back to sleep.

"What is it, Zack? Have you forgotten to tell me something?" Aerith asked with curiosity. Zack wouldn't turn around, and Aerith smiled, running her lips along his shoulder blades. "Zack, come on…"

Zack turned to face her again, smiling broadly. "I got the job."

"You mean the one that Sora's dad recommended you for?"

Zack nodded excitedly. "Yeah, I'm gonna work alongside him now!" Aerith squealed at the good news. Sora's father was a much respected official in the region, and he took care of his employees.

Zack pulled Aerith off the bed, and hugged her close to him, swinging her around and then kissing her tightly. "You can have as big a wedding as you want! We can rent the terrace in Disney City, if you want. They have a beautiful hotel there, too."

Aerith shook her head. "I don't want something too big. But the terrace might be nice for the dinner." She added with excitement. "And we could go somewhere really nice for the honeymoon."

Zack looked right into her eyes when she said this, and made her blush. Then he held her close to him and rocked her back and forth slowly. "Are you happy?" he said absentmindedly.

She looked up at him, teary eyed. "Of course I'm happy! Couldn't you tell?"

Zack looked at her sadly, and kissed her again. She'd been through so much, so much that she had to deal with by herself. It made Zack's heart ache to look at her sometimes. "I'm so glad that we were able to meet again." He sighed, closing his eyes. Aerith nodded.

Suddenly, the phone rang, and Aerith snapped out of her dreamlike state. "Oh. I wonder who that is." She mumbled to herself, starting off down the stairs. "Oh, and Zack?" she said quietly. Zack looked back at her inquiringly. She smiled, rubbing the back of her neck with her hand.

"It'd also be nice if we have a house of our own to move into when we get married." She said slowly, and Zack nodded.

"It's for you, Aerith. It's Xion." Cid called from downstairs. His voice was hoarse from a cold. Aerith nodded, and went down the stairs. She was still living with Cid and Yuffie, though Yuffie spent an increasingly large amount of time at Loz's apartment. Leon had moved out into his own apartment after Zack had started living with Aerith and the others. She really wanted to move out with Zack, but she wanted to save up money so that they could put a down payment on a house.

Aerith picked up the phone. "Hi, Xion. What's going on with you?" Aerith asked, twirling the phone cord in her fingers.

"Oh, I just wanted to inform you- and I am not joking- that Roxas has got a brother."

Aerith gaped, and put her hand on her hip. "You never even told me his mother was pregnant! That is very very odd, though… funny how things happen."

"No, no, I don't mean he has a new _baby _brother. I mean he has a new _twin _brother. One that he never knew about before."

Aerith narrowed her eyes. Xion liked a good joke, but she sounded like she was being serious. "I must admit, Xion, I don't believe you." Aerith said lightly, and she heard Xion sigh across the phone.

"It turns out that when Roxas was born, he was actually a twin, and one of the nurses stole him from the hospital. Wait, have you seen the news?"

Aerith blushed. "I didn't watch the news last night; I was doing… other things."

"Well, it's all over the news, it's just… it's strange for everyone. But when you see him, you'll believe me."

Aerith nodded. "Okay. Does he need a welcoming party?"

"Well, I was just wondering if you would like to meet him, you don't need to arrange a big party."

Aerith was already shaking her head. "No, no, it's completely fine. I would love to give him a welcoming party."

Xion laughed a little across the phone. "Thank you so much! I really appreciate it!"

Aerith smiled. "Oh, what's his name?"

"It's Ventus."

Aerith nodded. "Ventus. That's interesting. I'll see if everyone can come over for dinner tonight. Zack, Leon, and Loz and his brothers are all off work."

"That would be lovely. I just wanted to call before I went over to them, I'll tell them about it when I get there. Axel's coming over to hang out with us, and so is Namine."

Aerith nodded, thinking of something. "Is Namine doing well?"

"Yeah, she's great. She paints all the time now. She's really good, too."

"Is she happy now?"

"Yeah, she's like a sister to me now. I really care about her."

Aerith chuckled slightly, and nodded, even though Xion couldn't see her. "That is truly lovely, Xion. I'm so happy that you are doing better now."

"You too, Aerith, I'm so excited for you."

"Thank you, Xion" Aerith finished quietly. She and Xion did have a connection after all, through their pasts. They knew the same kind of pain. She never really got to talk to Xion personally though, unless by phone call.

"Bye" Xion chirped, and Aerith returned the goodbyes, and then hung up. She spied Cid walking slowly into the kitchen, and she waved to him as she put the phone back on the receiver.

"Cid, how's the yoga going?" Aerith said brightly, and Cid snorted.

"I've been bent into all shapes humanely possible, and they're still telling me that they have a 'long way' for me to go. They're gonna turn me into a human octopus. You know, the other day I saw a special on them." Cid commented, and Aerith looked at him with curiosity.

"They made him squeeze through a transparent pipe, and he turned out okay in the end. I'm gonna be like that soon if this doesn't let up."

Aerith shook her head, chuckling quietly at the thought of Cid trying to do his yoga. Then she shrugged, smiling slightly. "Well, Cid. You're moving much better now that you've started. Women don't like stiff men anyway, they like someone who can loosen up."

Cid snorted. "Yeah, I'll dazzle them by going into a human pretzel." After saying this, Cid guffawed, and strode over to the stove, pulling the kettle off the cook top and pouring himself some tea. Then he looked back over at Aerith, sighing. "I don't need a woman, anyway. I'm a lone wolf, you know? The frivolities of domestic life are beyond me now- I wouldn't know how to treat a dainty lady like yourself." He teased, patting Aerith on the shoulder.

"Not all women are dainty." She ventured thoughtfully. "You just need to find the type that suits you."

Cid looked off into the distance, as if considering it. Then, he shrugged it off, and went back to his tea. "What would a woman do with me anyway? I'm an old man now; I'm not good for anything anymore. I'm a mangy mutt." He added, with a twinge of sad pride. Aerith suddenly saw him, not as a father, or a protector, but finally as a man, like every other man, who needed some softness in his life.

He had had Aerith, Leon, and Yuffie for so long, but when they were gone, he'd be on his own again. Aerith scratched her head, feeling a little ache for him.

"Actually, Xion just called to tell me that Roxas has a new brother. Turns out he had a twin that he never even knew about." Aerith noticed Cid nodding.

"Yeah, I know, I saw it on the news in the pub in the city square. Then a picture of Roxas and the twin came up, and I swear I couldn't tell which was which. I thought I'd gotten so drunk I was seeing things, but then I asked the bar man if what was on the TV was really happening, and he said it was all over the news in Twilight Town."

Aerith mulled things over, and her curiosity began to intensify. She was suddenly very excited about meeting the person in question.

"Cid, we're having a little get together tonight, I'm gonna go out and get the food now, can you call everyone and see who will come?"

Cid nodded from the kitchen as Aerith went to get her purse, and Zack came down the stairs.

"Are we gonna meet the new kid?" Cid asked, and Aerith smiled in affirmation, running out the front door. Zack looked a little puzzled, and Cid took the phone back off the receiver, throwing it to Zack, who caught it precariously. "Call everyone we know and tell them we're having a get together tonight, alright? I'm going to watch some TV" Cid drawled, moving into the living room. Zack looked on as Cid disappeared in front of the couch. "Aerith might not be pleased when she comes home and sees you haven't practiced stretching-"

"- Well, let's see you do some stretching, hah? Ya bratty kid…"

Zack rolled his eyes, but decided not to bother Cid any longer. Then, he sat down, and started to make calls.

…

Axel sighed, looking down at his phone. Selphie hadn't sent him any new messages or voicemails, which was surprising.

She hadn't called him since the 'Lea' incident three days ago, and Axel was wondering if she was still angry about the whole thing. It hadn't been his fault that Lea had walked in on the two of them. Lea was over at Isa's house again, he had practically been living there for the past three days. Axel decided not to venture an apology quite yet to him, because he was afraid of the backlash from Lea. He still didn't understand the kid at all.

Axel knew that he was a failure, he could tell by the checks Reno had to send every month to sustain Lea, how he couldn't hold a job for more than a few months, and the look that Lea constantly gave him. And his relationship with Selphie, which was going downhill fast. It seemed to Axel that as everyone else's life started to get sunny, all the clouds were moving in on him.

He was in Hollow Bastion right now; he had an interview with the owner of a small antique shop in the square.

Then, he noticed something in the window. It was a small box, crudely carved, but oddly beautiful. Axel pursed his lips, and suddenly thought of Selphie. But then he frowned. Selphie didn't like little odd stuff like this, the only presents she deemed as a 'success' were the most expensive ones. He wondered if one day he'd be able to find someone that he could just give stuff to, on a whim, just because he saw it and thought they might like it. Selphie would grow to expect presents if he got them for her, and she wouldn't like what he got her unless it had diamonds all over it.

Axel leaned against the shop window, wondering to himself how the whole relationship with Selphie had started in the first place. They had been having casual sex at first, and then she kept calling him, and he kept answering. Then he started to take her on dates, when he felt like seeing someone and talking to them. In a weird way, he felt like maybe he was trying to replace Roxas with Selphie at times. He didn't have a friend to talk to anymore, he was afraid of making Roxas uncomfortable these days.

So all he had to waste his time on was Selphie. And when he'd allow her room to hold onto him, she latched on and wouldn't let go, until it seemed like she had sucked every last sexual vibe out of Axel's body. Axel didn't look for exciting, edgy relationships anymore. He felt like he was just looking for a shoulder to cry on now. And he wasn't getting one- anywhere, because everyone else already had their shoulders taken. The annoying thing about everyone else's happy ending when Sephiroth was out of the picture, was that it magnified the fact that Axel was worse off now.

Axel was brought back to attention when he felt a tap on his shoulder. "Would you like to come in?" the man said. "Loitering is not allowed around here."

Axel nodded, and held his hand out for the man to shake. "Hi, I'm Axel. I applied for a job here, and I'm here now for the interview."

The man nodded, and beckoned for Axel to come inside the shop. "I saw you looking at the piece inside the display case, would you like me to take it out for you?"

Axel thought for a moment, and then nodded, adding "but I don't think I'll be able to buy it just yet." The man chuckled, and set it in Axel's hand.

"It's a heart box; you give it to the person that you want to give your heart to. It has a secret way of opening it, you see…" the man took the box gently, and demonstrated for Axel. "Right now it is on a set that I gave it, but you can reset it and make any pattern you want, so it's special."

The man gently twirled the box around counter clock wise, and then clockwise. Then, he turned it upside down, and then right-side up again, three times. Lastly, he spun it again, and Axel heard the box click. Slowly, the man opened the lid, and Axel gasped. The inside of the box was carved in incredible detail, and inlaid with pearl, and an odd type of crystal. There was a heart carved in the middle, with tiny shards of the crystal all around it.

"Um, what's the gem around the heart?" Axel said absentmindedly, and the man cleared his throat, ready to start.

"It's called 'Fairies Mirror', because it enables the onlooker to see inside their own hearts. It can only be found in the caverns below the Sea of Woe, beyond the ocean surrounding Destiny Islands."

Axel nodded, smiling. "I remember my mom used to tell us stories about that place when we were kids. I always thought that she made it up. Weird that it's true."

The man beamed, happy that he did not have to convince Axel of the truth in his words. Axel looked down at the heart, and a shadow seemed to come over the crystal, making it appear black.

"Hm. A shadow is passing over, eh? Are you having a hard time at the moment, son?" The man questioned with concern, and Axel shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess so. But I can't say that I'm special. There are lots of people having a hard time besides me. Maybe I'm just not handling it as well as everyone else is."

The man nodded slowly, taking the box back out of Axel's hands, closing it, and putting it back in the display case. "Things like this sometimes are harbingers for things that haven't quite come yet. Look clearly into your horizon, in order to sidestep anything that looks foreboding."

Then, he straightened up, and smiled broadly at Axel. "Well, do you like it?" he said, raising his head up and looking around him. Axel caught himself frowning a little, and then looked around the store too. "It's an interesting place. I feel like I could spend hours in here just looking around. It's like a museum." He tried to say this brightly, because he really wanted the job, and he felt like the man liked him alright. He was dismayed to see the man shaking his head.

"It's a pity that you want a job here." The man sighed, and Axel opened his mouth to say something, and then rethought it, breathing out instead. Then he formulated what he thought would be an acceptable response.

"What do you mean?"

The man took a deep breath, and shrugged. "Well, if you had just come in here on a whim, not intending to get anything out of me, we would have had a more genuine conversation. But when I feel that you want something from me, I cannot identify whether or not you are genuine. I can tell you need the job."

The man looked Axel up and down slowly, and Axel gave him a menacing glance, feeling a little antagonized. The man chuckled, shaking his head. This was not going well.

"I called a few of your previous employers, and they all said that you were a nice enough person, but your shenanigans and withholding of information made them all let you go."

Axel chuckled, deciding that he didn't care which way this whole thing went. "Yeah, it's a wonder I got any other jobs at all." He drawled, grinning at the man, who was not impressed.

"What information did you withhold?" The man asked quietly, and Axel sighed, looking away in irritation. He would definitely not get the job now.

"I was involved in the Organization 13 scandal a few years back." He said quickly, looking over at the man to see his reaction. Surprisingly, the man was unfazed.

"Were you one of the perpetrators?" The man said quietly.

"Nah" Axel shrugged. "A friend of mine did the accounting for the company, and they were going to blame the scam on her. That's what it all branched off from. Then my other friend left the organization and I decided that I needed to get them all sent to jail. So I pushed buttons and got them sent to jail."

The man looked a little worried at this. "Meddling, eh? Maybe it would've done you better to just report the Organization rather than getting your hands dirty."

Axel whipped his head up, feeling that the man's comment was an accusation. "I didn't do anything! I helped put them in jail! They might not have been incarcerated if it weren't for me!" he snapped, hugging himself. The man sighed, and Axel suddenly laughed nervously.

"Dang, I'm sorry I told you all that information. I'll probably never get the job now."

The man shrugged again. "I usually _give _job offers, not receive applications. That's why I don't send them out. I just felt like I needed an assistant, and I thought I'd give the application process a try."

"How do you like it?" Axel said hopefully.

"Not very much to be honest. I don't think I'll be using it again. Take care of yourself young man."

Axel's face fell at this, and he settled in his own mind that he had blown it again. He nodded quickly, and then exited the shop, stomping down the road. He had been invited to a get together at Aerith's tonight to celebrate Roxas' new brother's (whom he had not met yet) addition to the family. As he passed by a little boutique window, an idea popped into Axel's head.

He decided that he'd get Selphie something in apology for the way he'd acted over the past few weeks. He hadn't been as social as he could've been, and he felt like it had definitely began to wear off on Selphie too (judging by the fact that his message inbox was completely empty).

He went over to the jewelry counter, scratching the back of his head. Axel wasn't very good at the boyfriend thing, he never had been. He was good at messing with and around with people, although he wasn't good at long term relationships. But, he decided he'd try to make an effort at it.

"I'll take the necklace in the corner." He mumbled, and laid out a weeks' worth of dinner cash right in front of the sales assistant's register. The woman nodded, and added it up for him.

"Oh. You're twenty cents under." She chirped, looking at her finger nails.

Axel's face went bright red, and he searched frantically through his pockets, then behind him, noticing a line forming for the cash register. He only had his train money left, and he had to get to Selphie's house and back to Hollow Bastion. The woman snorted a tiny bit, and then gave him a pitying glance. "But you're fine." She added, looking him up and down again, and raising her eyebrows slightly.

Axel nodded briskly to her, and then raced out of the store as fast as he could. It seemed as if the day could not get any worse. He looked at the clock in his phone, and cursed under his breath. He was to be at the party in thirty minutes, but he wanted to give the present to Selphie before they left so she could wear it to the party.

He ran to the train station, and almost missed the 4 o'clock train to Destiny Islands. When he finally got over to Selphie's house, Axel was panting heavily from trying to hurry. Sucking in a deep breath, he gave himself a moment to make himself presentable, and then he knocked on the door. Selphie's mother answered, trying to hide a cigarette behind her back. When she noticed that it was only Axel, she sighed in relief, and took a long drag. "The kids are trying to get me to quit" she muttered sheepishly, as if that was a formidable excuse. Axel nodded, and then tried to subtly look in the room behind her.

"I suspect that Selphie isn't home?" Axel drawled, and Selphie's mother nodded, and then gaped a little, as if she had just thought of something to say.

"Oh, she wanted me to tell you that she decided to go to the party a little bit early."

Axel nodded, a little disappointed, and then decided to go to the party himself. He said goodbye to Selphie's mother, and then headed off back to the train station to go to Hollow Bastion again.

"More money wasted." Axel muttered to himself, hopping on the train again. He looked at his watch, letting out a deep sigh. It was now 5 o'clock. The party had been going on for a while now. He smirked at the thought of making a 'big entrance.' He'd have to think of something good.

He _heard_ the party about five houses down from where it actually was, and when he knocked on the door, Aerith answered, giving him a hug. He lingered a little, and Aerith gave a little cough when she'd thought it was enough. Axel let go of her, and gave her a big smile.

"How's the future bride doing?" He said cheerfully, and Aerith blushed suddenly.

"Well, Zack and I are doing really well. We might even move out by the wedding day!" She added with delight, and Axel smirked.

"You mean, into your own apartment?"

Aerith shook her head. "No, into our own house!"

Axel frowned a little- he didn't know if he quite liked the sound of _settled _life. Something about always having to go back to the same house, and always being confined to having sex with the same person- for years, bothered him. Aerith laughed at his facial expression.

"I'm guessing that that's not the life for you, Axel?"

Axel snorted, shaking his head. "Nah, I haven't even found a proper girlfriend yet. I can't settle worth a damn."

Aerith looked a little puzzled. "I thought you were with Selphie now?" she said quietly. Axel pursed his lips, and looked out onto the party. "Things aren't going too well."

Aerith nodded, and shrugged. "I hope things get better."

Axel didn't know what to say back to her, so he just refrained from answering. He didn't know if he particularly hoped that things would get better.

Just then, Yuffie popped out from the hallway, and ran over and hugged Axel.

"Hey, Yuffie, what's going on with you?" Axel asked, and Yuffie giggled a little bit, and called out for Loz.

"I want you to meet my new boyfriend, Loz." She chirped, pointing over to Loz, who slipped his hand in hers shyly, and waved a little to Axel. Axel smiled mischievously at him. All of those brothers were cute.

Yuffie appeared _not _to be enjoying the attention that was being given to Loz, and scootched herself in between Axel and Loz, as if protecting him.

"Well, it seems like you two have met before, so I'm just gonna go back outside with Loz and talk a little bit more to the new twin" then Yuffie squealed a little bit in excitement. "He is just so cute! You really can't tell the two apart unless you start really talking to them. They look absolutely identical- which is, well, I suppose it's the point, but…" she trailed off, shrugging. "Well, see you all outside!" she chirped, and then dragged Loz back out the back door and into the garden. Aerith chuckled a little bit behind Axel, and shook her head.

"It's funny; she likes him an awful lot. They're so different, though, it's a wonder that they can stand each other."

Axel smiled. He'd never really imagined Yuffie to be the girlfriend type; she was so childish at times. But then again, so was Loz in a way. But it was nice that she was still the same as before she was in a relationship. Then Axel was reminded of Selphie.

"Hey, Aerith, have you seen Selphie around? She said that she was coming to the party early today."

Aerith nodded, and pointed upstairs. "She went upstairs to find something with Sora. I think they might be in the office upstairs."

Axel nodded at her, feeling a tiny bit of a foreboding presence in the air, but he tried to shake it off, telling himself that he was probably just being paranoid. But, if he judged on what _he _would do in Selphie's situation, he figured he knew the outcome of _this _situation.

He ran up the stairs, and heard giggles coming from the small office that Leon sometimes used. "Shit shit shit…" he growled to himself as he rounded the corner of the stairway, and opened the door to the office.

Selphie was on the floor, with her shirt and bra discarded somewhere in the room, and Sora was kissing her chest passionately. A few seconds passed, as Axel stood in horror, watching Sora trace circles around Selphie's nipples, until Selphie finally noticed him. She blushed a deeper shade of red than Axel had ever seen on her, and gulped a little bit. Then, she pushed Sora off her, and covered her front a little bit, looking away from Axel guiltily.

"Um, Axel? I- it's over honey." She said with a forlorn look on her face. Axel threw the box in his hand on the floor, and closed his hands into fists.

"No shit?" he snarled. "I think I could tell by seeing you two a few seconds ago." Sora giggled nervously, and then shut up when Axel glared at him. Sora waved a little bit, and then let his hand falter a little, rethinking the situation. Axel shook his head in disgust, most of it directed at himself.

"I've never been cheated on in my life."

Sora smiled at Axel encouragingly. "Think of it as a learning experience! There's always a first for everything-!"

"-shut up, kid!" Axel cut in angrily, and then Selphie put her hands on her hips, puffing out her (exposed) chest in a valiant, hero-esque stance.

"Actually, Sora is _not _a kid- he is quite experienced. He's very good with-"

"How the hell long has this been going on?" Axel interjected, trying to calm down a little bit. He immediately regretted his question.

Selphie blushed, and gulped a little bit, shrugging ashamedly. "Um, maybe, like… two months?" She said, trailing off as she got to the last few words.

At this point, Axel picked up the box on the floor and threw it at Selphie in a blind rage. "Fuck you. The one time I decide to reconcile and do something nice for you, you turn around and throw it back in my face."

Selphie opened the box, and then gaped a little, letting out an aww. It gave Axel a little bit of encouragement, and he turned around again.

"Do you like it?" He enquired, and Selphie looked at him with big eyes, holding up the blue stoned bracelet for him to see. She looked down at it, and then gave him a pitying glance.

"Axel, my color is pink."

Axel let his mouth hang open for a moment, and then his face contorted with rage, and he let out a howl, storming down the stairs and out the front door. Aerith got a fright when she heard the door slam, and she ran out to see what was going on.

"Axel!" she screamed after him as he went down the pathway, and onto the sidewalk. "Axel, what is wrong with you?"

Axel whipped around, and threw his hands up in the air, laughing like crazy. "It just keeps on getting better, doesn't it?" then he turned around and started to leave.

"What happened?" Aerith screamed after him, getting teary eyed because she did not know what was going on. She didn't notice Roxas running out past her, along with Ventus.

"Ask Selphie!" Axel shouted, turning around once more. And then he just stood, gaping. There was Roxas, and a boy that looked exactly like him, standing beside each other. Axel really couldn't tell the difference, but when one of the boys ran over and punched him in the chest, he knew who was who.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Roxas shouted. "This was supposed to be a nice get together for everyone, and you go storming around yelling all over the place. Everyone is asking what the hell is going on!"

Axel thought over it for a moment, and then noticed that a small crowd had gathered at the front door, including Selphie and Sora. They all had worried looks on their faces. Namine scootched out from between Loz and Zack, and ran out beside Roxas, holding onto Axel's arm.

"Axel? Is something wrong? I heard that you were unemployed. Do you need anything?" Namine said, pulling 5,000 munny out of her purse. Axel sighed in irritation and embarrassment. "Namine, I don't need your money, lay off me." Namine nodded in a pitying way, and went back to the front door. Axel shook his head, and turned away from the crowd, lowering his head. Roxas patted him on the shoulder.

"Axel, come back to the party."

"I can't go back in there now, Roxas. They probably all think I'm a monster." Axel mumbled.

Roxas snorted. "Coward."

Axel looked up to the sky for a moment, folding his hands over his chest. "I'll go back."

Roxas smiled, and pointed to Ventus. "First, I want you to meet my new twin, Ventus. Ventus, this is Axel."

Ventus looked Axel up and down with narrowed eyes, and then smirked a little. "Nice to meet you, Axel." He said politely, and Axel nodded, raising his eyebrows a little bit in curiosity.

Then, Ventus went back to the door with Aerith.

As Axel started to walk back, Roxas stopped him. "Hey, Axel?"

"Yeah, Roxas?"

"Did you see the smirk?"

Axel nodded nonchalantly. "Yeah, I saw it."

Roxas nodded, thinking deeply. "Then it's not just me." He lingered for a few moments, and then he snapped out of it, taking Axel's hand and smiling. Axel felt a whole shock go up his arm when Roxas squeezed his hand.

"Axel, you've been acting really weird ever since… well, you know." Roxas mumbled, blushing. Then, he sighed, looking straight into Axel's eyes, his cheeks still rosy. "I hope that things can go back to the way they were before all that crazy stuff happened."

Axel sighed deeply, shaking his head. Roxas didn't know how hard he made it on Axel, looking at him like that. "We can't go back, Roxas."

Roxas opened his mouth in dismay, and then closed it again, nodding slowly, as if he quietly refused to take in what Axel had said. Then, he chuckled angrily. "So you're saying that it's my fault that this shit happened?" he spat, and Axel smiled weakly, shaking his head.

"No. I'm not saying it's your fault. I'm saying that's the truth of the way things have turned out. It's my fault for making that stupid deal with you. I should've known that you would never love me."

Roxas ran his fingers through his hair. "But I did love you, Axel! You were like my big brother! And after what you did, I just didn't think that I could trust you, I couldn't see you the same way…"

Axel's expression hardened. "And do you still not trust me?"

Roxas' shoulders fell, and he shrugged. "No, I don't trust you." Axel snickered a little.

"Then that whole thing about us going back to the way we were before was just shit. You've been contradicting yourself. I thought you were smarter than that. I thought you would say what you meant."

"Well, usually, when a person is in love with someone who isn't going to love them back, they would rather just be around them than antagonize them and lose them forever!"

Axel grimaced at this. "I already have lost you, Roxas! You slipped out from between my fingers! I can't have a relationship where I scare the person I'm with, where they can't trust me! I don't know what it is, it seems like because of the life I've chosen, people think that for some reason, I can take shit easier than everyone else, that I never get sad. And then, when I do try to show a softer side of myself, they turn around and say 'get a fucking hold of yourself, Axel. All you're good for is sex; we don't need any of this sadness shit.' It's like I'm not human to any of them, like I'm just trying to act sad to get sympathy. It's infuriating." He said, trying to gulp back the lump that was forming in his throat. "Maybe if people listened, they'd understand me better. They'd understand why I don't keep around the same person for too long, why I don't keep in the same job, the same 'home'. My demons are constantly chasing me, and now that I've tried to settle myself, they've caught up with me." he finished, hugging himself a little. Roxas was at a loss of words. He didn't understand the stress in Axel's life, because he never had problems like that.

"I- I…" Roxas tried to think of something good to say. He wanted to hug Axel, and ruffle up his hair and laugh with him, but he didn't want it to be awkward. Then, not knowing what to say, Roxas just shrugged, and walked back to the house. When he stole a glance back at Axel, the man had his head bent down low, like he was crushed.

Roxas sighed, feeling like he had let his friend down an incredible amount, but he pushed himself forward into the house anyway. He was surprised to see that Ventus was still at the door, looking around. Roxas frowned, looking at Ventus closely. Then, Ventus suddenly raised his head up and caught Roxas, looking him straight in the eye. Roxas looked away immediately, but it didn't stop him from blushing. Ventus chuckled in irritation. "I tell you, the day I can find someone to look me straight in the eyes…" then he trailed off, and a shadow seemed to pass over his usually dark, deep eyes, making them almost appear black. "What's Axel like?" Ventus said with curiosity, and Roxas shrugged. "He's a nice guy. He has a lot of layers, though. You may not understand him completely until years after you know him."

Ventus nodded, smirking again, but this time less meanly than before. "Layers. Like me."

Roxas shrugged, not knowing how to respond. Then, he remembered something, and went to talk to Aerith, with Ventus tagging along after him.

Axel sat on the sidewalk for a moment, stabbing the ground with a stick bitterly. Then, it broke, and the splinters lodged into his fingers. He cursed, and decided to go back to the house to get a band aid.

As he went into the kitchen, he spied Roxas talking to Aerith. He opened his mouth, and went over to the boy to try to tell him something, but Roxas gave him a worried glance, blushed a little bit, and then left the room. Aerith looked a little puzzled, and played with her mid-parted bangs, that framed either side of her face, that twirled into soft curls on each side of her neck. Axel sighed, and went over to her, still feeling a small twinge of want.

"Um, where are the band aids?" he said gruffly, and Aerith gasped when she looked at his fingers.

"Axel, what were you doing?" she said in deep concern, and Axel blushed. Everyone would think he was mentally damaged by the end of the night. Which he probably was, but that didn't mean he wanted everyone else to know that.

"I was just, um, messing with a stick, and it broke and the splinters got into my hand. I'm sorry." He mumbled, and Aerith nodded, patting him on the side of the face. He looked into her face in wonder, and she smiled at him.

"You don't have to tell me sorry. Remember, Axel, there are people here who care about you."

Axel smiled a little, and leaned in closer to her, forgetting where he was. Aerith's expression changed to masked disgust, and she pushed away from him. "But please don't let that lead you to believe that you can get what you want out of anyone you want."

Axel shrugged as she hunted for the first aid box. "Everyone else has gotten what they wanted out of me."

Aerith looked at him, really frowning. "Obviously I don't know you at all." She snapped, and Axel sniggered, playing with her hair. She was just about to slap him, when Roxas walked in again, and she assumed her happy face once more.

"Roxas, do you think you could help Axel with his splinters?" she chirped, a little overly giddy, but Roxas nodded. Then, the boy led Axel up the bathroom, and set him down on the toilet, signaling for Axel to hold his hand out, as Roxas sat down on the side of the bath.

"You're an idiot, you know that?" Roxas said absentmindedly. Axel nodded, relieved that things were better between the two of them already. Axel laughed a little.

"Yeah, I know. Everyone else does, too."

Roxas smiled a little, and looked at Axel again, this time straight in the eye. Axel looked back into his deep eyes, and beckoned for Roxas to fix up his hand. Roxas nodded, pulling out the tweezers.

Then, he got to work, removing the splinters. Axel was surprised at how gentle Roxas was with his hand, and he looked at Roxas' hands move as he worked. When he was finished, Roxas sighed happily, holding Axel's hand up for him to see. "Did I do a good job?" he said brightly, and Axel nodded, smiling.

"Yeah, thanks!"

Roxas smiled at this, and turned around to the medical bag that Aerith had given to him, retrieving the Neosporin, band aids, and anti-bacterial wipes. As he turned back around, Axel kissed him on the neck without thinking. This gave Roxas a fright, and made Axel shrink back. Then Axel shook his head, and Roxas bit his lip, as if struggling to make a decision inside himself. The man felt like he knew what Roxas was going to say. Axel decided he'd say it for him.

"Roxas, I'm so sorry. I've made a decision now, though, which I think will be the best for both of us. We…" Axel gulped back tears, hating himself for getting so emotional. Roxas rubbed an anti-bacterial wipe over Axel's cut hand and the stinging felt good. Then, he put Neosporin over them, still not looking at Axel, who continued. "We can't be friends anymore." Roxas stopped what he was doing for a second, but then continued. Axel felt a little hurt at the lack of response, but he kept going anyway, more telling this to himself than anyone else. "We can't hang out, because I'll just keep wanting more from you and you'll just keep mistrusting me, and things will just get worse. So I think this should end while things are going so-so. What I'm saying is- and don't take this the wrong way- You can either give me all of yourself, or none of yourself, and the same will go for me. Take all of me or none of me. I'm prepared for whatever you decide." Axel sighed, and Roxas finished putting band aids on him.

As Axel stood up to leave the bathroom, Roxas caught him by his sleeve, and sat him back down. Axel tensed up, preparing himself for the answer. Roxas nodded, as if weighing the options in his own head, and then the corner of his mouth twitched up a little, as if he was about to smile. But he didn't.

"Axel, I can't make a decision just yet. But, would you mind hanging out with me one more time before you decide to separate us forever?" Roxas said coolly, looking up at Axel with pain in his eyes. Axel sighed, not particularly relieved. "Okay." He nodded. "Do you want me to come to your house?"

Roxas shook his head, looking into Axel's eyes. "Nah, I think I'd rather go to your house. Would you mind if I stayed the night?" Roxas said with a tiny bit of caution in his voice, and Axel nodded vigorously, trying to mask his excitement. "Yeah, sure."

Roxas nodded. "Just let me tell Aerith." And he went down the stairs, with Axel trailing behind.

He got to Aerith, and told her that he and Axel were going to leave, handing her the medical aid box. Aerith raised her eyebrows a little.

"I thought you were going to go out with Xion tonight?"

Roxas laughed a little, looking back at Axel, shrugging. "Well, the new kid swept her away, I guess. I'll catch her tomorrow. She and Namine are with him." He added, and smiled at Axel. Axel nodded, feeling as if something was tugging at him, he shrugged the feeling off, ignoring it and following Roxas out the door. Everyone hugged them and said bye, some hugged Axel harder and some hugged him weakly. Selphie and Sora had apparently left already.

As Axel and Roxas walked down the road, Axel cleared his throat, examining Roxas closely. "So, you were pretty indifferent about Xion going off with Ventus and Namine. Did the date not mean that much to you?" Roxas looked at Axel with surprise. "Of course it meant something to me. But, it wasn't really a date to begin with. Namine was going to be there too. But, when I told Xion I wanted to hang out with you, she understood." Roxas finished quietly, and Axel nodded.

"Yeah, she probably felt sorry for me after the way I acted." He chuckled, looking away. Roxas sighed.

"I just didn't want you to feel like I didn't care about you, I mean, after I left you on the road like that. I just didn't know what to say."

Axel felt a warmth in his heart, and he smiled to himself a little. So Roxas wasn't mad at him. But the tugging would not go away, and it seemed to get stronger as they boarded the train to Disney City. Roxas sat down beside Axel. He talked about Ventus, and how weird it was that he had a twin now the whole way. But, Axel didn't mind, because it was understandable that Roxas would be thinking about this at such a time. Then Roxas chuckled.

"And it's funny, it's only been a short time, and we're practically absent from the news, like we were never there to begin with."

Axel said 'm-hm', and then thought of something. "Roxas, do you like having a brother now?"

Roxas seemed to think for a minute, searching for the right answer, and then he nodded. "Yeah, he's a nice guy. It's weird, I feel like I can trust him completely." He said, and the tugging that Axel had felt inside made him shiver a little. "Fuck off." He mumbled to himself in irritation. He hoped it wasn't his conscious telling him not to go near Roxas, because he wasn't even planning on coming onto him at all. He just wanted to be with Roxas.

Roxas snapped up, and looked at Axel, a little dumbfounded. "What?" he said bleakly, and Axel shook his head rapidly.

"Oh no, no, no. I was just talking to myself, I promise, I was just thinking about…" he blushed madly, and looked away from Roxas, who narrowed his eyes, and seemed to examine Axel. Axel looked out the window, and then breathed out, relaxing a bit.

"Oh, here we are. My house is pretty close to the station." He said brightly, and they both got off the train. Roxas gasped a little, looking around. "This is beautiful." He said, gulping a little. Axel nodded, smiling. "Yeah, it's pretty impressive. I forgot, I've never taken you to my hometown." Roxas smiled to himself. "It's nice."

When they got to the front door, Axel unlocked it, and held it open for Roxas, who nodded in appreciation. Axel called out to Lea, and then sighed. He was still at Isa's house. He decided to check his messages. There was one from Isa.

"_Isa said I could stay the night at his house again, so I'll probably have to come back tomorrow. His parents are getting worried for me. They say that I can stay as long as I want if I'm having troubles at home. So, yeah." _

Axel blew out a breath angrily, and clenched his hand into a fist. Lea loved to tell him how much Isa's parents were 'worried' for him, mainly to worry Axel. He didn't know what the kid wanted. Roxas listened, frowning. When the message finished, he looked at Axel sadly. "Why is he so mean to you?"

Axel smiled bitterly. "Because he knows I'll just take it without complaining too much" then he shrugged. "The kid's trying to get something out of me, but I don't know what. I can't be like my brother. I guess he's trying to live with him."

Roxas looked confused. "Your brother?" Axel nodded.

"Yeah, Reno. The 'pride and joy' of the whole family. Lea's practically in love with him. He wanted to go live with Reno after our parents died, but Reno lives way too far away and he said he 'can't support a little kid'. I also looked after him so he could stay in his own school, and keep his old friends and stuff."

Roxas looked at the ground. "I'm sorry." He whispered, and Axel shrugged. "It's not your fault."

Roxas seemed to brighten up, and went for the stairs. "What was your old room like? Do you mind if I see it?"

Axel shrugged, taking him up the stairs and opening the door to his old bedroom for him. "It's not like it used to be, because I've already put all my new stuff in it." Roxas nodded, and sat on the bed. Then, he looked up at Axel again, straight in the eyes. "It's still a nice room." He said quietly, and lied down, closing his eyes, and breathing out a little, relaxing. As Axel looked at the boy, feelings of lust crept over him, until he was overpowered with want. The tugging was so strong now, that it seemed to be screaming at Axel, screaming for him to stop. But Axel didn't wait for the reason. He crept over to Roxas, and climbed on top of him, nudging Roxas' legs apart so that he could lie down with his waist in between Roxas' thighs. Roxas opened one eye, and then sat up, narrowing his eyes at Axel cautiously. "What are you doing?" he said slowly but sharply, and Axel began to kiss his ear. "All of me or none of me. Decide now." Axel sighed in Roxas' ear, and bit it softly. Roxas did not resist, he didn't say anything at all, so Axel took it as a cue to keep going.

He pulled off Roxas' shirt, and trailed his tongue down the middle of Roxas' chest and stomach, until he got down to his hips. Roxas tried to sit up a little bit, but Axel pushed him back down onto the bed, stroking his hips. Then, he unbuttoned Roxas' trousers, and listened with glee as Roxas' breathing got heavier. Axel reached into the drawer beside his bed, and took out a condom, and put it on. Roxas began to shake his head as Axel pulled Roxas' underwear down to his knees, but he didn't move. As Axel traced his tongue down the side of Roxas' member, the boy moaned, and arched his back a little bit. Axel stroked Roxas' lower back as he stuck Roxas in his mouth, and Roxas raised his thighs up around Axel's head, grabbing his hair. He groaned as Axel moved the member in and out of his mouth, and breathed harder and faster, until he was panting. Then he gasped a little, and grabbed Axel's hair harder. "Axel, I- I'm-!" he said, and covered his mouth as he came. Axel swallowed, and then coughed a little. He hadn't done this since he was with Marluxia, years back. As he raised his head up, Roxas folded his hands around Axel's back, kissing him. "I'm sorry." He said feverishly, nuzzling his nose against Axel's. Axel gulped again, and looked away. "For a kid who's never done it, you held out pretty long."

Roxas didn't say anything, and instead began to kiss Axel again, harder than before. He had tears in his eyes. Axel suddenly felt a little sorry for what he'd just said, and kissed Roxas back, holding the boy close as he took his underwear off completely. Then, he pushed the boy back down onto the bed, and looked at his naked body. "You're beautiful." He breathed, and Roxas smiled a little, and then looked away.

Axel hiked Roxas' hips up to his own, and spread his legs apart more. "This might hurt, but I'll be gentle with you since it's your first time."

Roxas smiled a little, maybe trying to act tough. "Have you gone soft, Axel?" he sighed, and Axel grinned mischievously. "I can do whatever you want." He said, moving his hips back and forth against Roxas'. Roxas looked away again, shrugging, and Axel chuckled a little bit. "I can be as mean as you want." He felt Roxas shiver a little, and he decided that he couldn't take it anymore. He unbuttoned his pants, and prepared to slide himself inside Roxas. Then, Roxas pulled away a little, shaking his head. "No, take all your clothes off." He said, and Axel looked a little confused. Roxas shook his head again. "I don't want to be the only one naked." Axel sighed, and nodded, taking his clothes off. He looked at Roxas with curiosity, and pursed his lips a little. He looked in the drawer of his bedside table to see if he had any lotion, then retrieving it and squeezing a generous amount onto his fingers, Axel pushed his forefinger inside Roxas a little. As he moved it around, Roxas moaned, and breathed harder than before. When Axel removed his finger, he looked down at Roxas' face again. "Are you sure you want me to do this?" he asked, and Roxas just nodded, breathing raggedly. Then, Axel stuck himself inside, pushing his hips forward slowly, and he felt how hot it was inside Roxas, and he felt like the heat was spreading all over his own body. He bit his lip, and moved inside and outside Roxas, not knowing what to feel. Roxas began to shout out Axel's name, and Axel shook his head, feeling dizzy.

'This doesn't feel right…' he thought to himself. He should have been over the moon; he was having sex with the boy of his dreams. But something was unmistakably wrong. He moved in and out faster and faster, and Roxas began to moan louder. Then, Axel felt himself shiver as 'Roxas' did something that he would have never expected. He opened his eyes as he smiled broadly, looked Axel straight in the eyes, and smirked at him erotically.

"Ventus, you little bitch." Axel breathed, stopping his thrusting motions. The reality of the situation came crashing down on him, and he shook his head, in a daze. But, the notion began to creep in on him that he'd known the whole time. That was what the nagging had been. Axel blinked back tears, and began to pull out, but Ventus grabbed Axel's ass and sat up, kissing him passionately. Axel pulled away, and Ventus held onto him tightly.

"There is no way you are fucking pulling out!" Ventus snarled in Axel's ear, and Axel was shocked at the way the boy really was. "Give me what I want!" Ventus said, grabbing either side of Axel's face and forcing Axel to look at him. "Look at me, look into my eyes!" Ventus suddenly pleaded desperately and intensely, but Axel could not meet his eyes. Ventus groaned in disgust, and began to violently move his hips back and forth, making Axel breathe harder.

Axel decided to give in, and moved with Ventus, who very well knew what he was doing. As Axel went harder and harder, Ventus began to scream, and then with tears in his eyes, he arched his back, and came on Axel's stomach. Axel finally pulled out, panting heavily. Ventus bent over Axel, and tried to lick the come off Axel's stomach, before the man pushed him away. Ventus looked angry and hurt.

"It was my fault; you should have let me clean you off!" Ventus snarled, and Axel shook his head, standing up and going into the bathroom. He got in the shower, and cleaned himself off, violently scrubbing himself with the loofa that was on the shelf, and throwing it in the trash when he was finished his shower. Then, he stood naked, looking at himself in the mirror in disgust.

He hated himself for not listening to his instincts, and he hated Ventus for lying to him. Axel rubbed the back of his head, and looked away from the mirror. He used to look in the mirror and smile at himself. Axel chuckled bitterly. "I guess those days are finished now." He mumbled, and jumped a little as the door opened. It was Ventus.

Ventus sighed, and leaned on the side of the door leading into the bathroom. He was still naked, and he smirked at Axel again, looking him up and down like he had before. "You know, when we did it, I didn't really get a chance to look at your body. You're beautiful, too."

Axel shook his head, getting a towel from the towel rack and rapping it around himself. Ventus frowned, but then smirked again, a little irritated. "You were fantastic in bed, too. You were so sweet at first, and then the way you looked at me, I couldn't wait for you to go inside me, and I wanted you to embarrass me, make me uncomfortable. But, then you found out. But, of course it's my fault, I had the crazy idea that you wouldn't mind. Then you were shit after that." He added snidely, and Axel's shoulders tensed up.

"You didn't sound like you thought I was shit." Axel snapped back, and Ventus smiled at him.

"Well, I had to imagine someone else. And I was doing more than half of the pushing. You think you did everything? I'm kind of disappointed, you should have made me scream and cry, but you didn't. You wanna try again and see if we can do it right this time?" Ventus sneered, and Axel cracked, shoving the boy against the wall.

"Who the fuck do you think you are, lying to me and then having the nerve to ask for it again?"

Ventus shrugged, and looked Axel straight in the eye again, even a little hopefully. Axel couldn't bring himself to look straight at the boy who had shamed him so much. He heard Ventus chuckle. "You are a dog with your tail between your legs. And I wanted you to love me because I thought I saw a man inside you. But you're just a broken down fuck. You can't do anything."

"OUT!" Axel roared, shoving Ventus out of the bathroom. Ventus got incredibly angry, and tore into the bedroom, grabbing his clothes and throwing them on himself. Axel followed him into the bedroom, and put his own clothes on, in order to lead the boy to the door.

"You've only been here a few fucking days and you've already got your eye on someone."

Ventus smiled maliciously. "At least I'm sleeping in the same bed as Roxas every single night. I could touch him however I wanted, and he wouldn't even notice it. You will _never _be able to do that."

Axel looked at him in horror. "You are sick." He spat, and pushed Ventus out the front door.

This seemed like it was a slap in the face to Ventus, and he shrank back a little, and suddenly looked like a scared and lonely boy. "That's only because I've been made that way by the people around me." he snapped, trying to defend himself.

Axel felt sorry for him, so he sighed, and let him back inside the house. The boy walked inside with his arms folded in front of him, looking at the ground, like he was trying to protect himself.

"I don't have money to go back to Twilight Town, and I don't want you giving any money to me, and I don't want you going home on your own like this without knowing fully where you are, so you can stay the night if you want." Axel mumbled. "But you go tomorrow." He added, and Ventus nodded.

Axel sighed, and rubbed his eyes in exhaustion. He did not need all this drama.

As Axel went to go upstairs, he felt Ventus grab his arm, and stroke it softly. The man turned around, and noticed that Ventus was looking into his face, a little less antagonistic than before. The boy pulled Axel closer.

"Axel, please, I'm sorry. I like you a lot. You don't know how much I wanted you the first time I saw you, shouldn't I have my wish granted? I think after everything, I have the right for my dreams to come true, too."

Axel sighed, hoping that the boy would just leave. "Why should I give you what you want? I haven't had my wishes granted, either, and neither have a lot of other people."

"So, are you saying that I'm not good enough for you? Are you just dumping me out after you've gotten a fuck out of me?" Ventus said in a rage, and Axel got angry again.

"Hey, you're the one who wanted it bad enough to pretend to be someone else so that you could get with me. Don't you dare turn this around so that it's my fault." He shouted, and Ventus gritted his teeth, and dug his fingernails into Axel's arm, looking him straight in the eye. This time, Axel could not look away.

"Don't fuck around with me." Ventus said murderously. "I look like I can't do much, but I promise that if you don't treat me the way I think I deserve to be treated, I will fuck up your life. And I won't think anything of it afterwards." He snarled, and Axel got the notion that the boy was not right in the mind, even a little psychotic. He shivered a little. Ventus dug his fingernails deeper, and Axel winced in pain.

"Something is going to happen to you- I can just feel it. And when it does, you will need to sort out your friends, and your enemies. And after the way you've treated me tonight, like I'm a piece of shit under your feet, it's gonna take a lot of convincing on your part to get me on your friend list, you got that?"

Axel snickered at this, feeling antagonized beyond belief. "Don't worry. I haven't done anything wrong." He said, shrugging. Ventus let go of his arm, and Axel gaped at the cuts that the boy had given him.

"Who will give a fuck?" Ventus said sharply, and lied down on the couch, closing his eyes.

Axel stood, motionless, and honestly, a little scared. He suddenly felt the need to get out of the house, and he gave a quick call to Lea.

"What do you want, dumb ass?" Lea said indifferently, and Axel had the mind to bring him over and let him deal with Ventus.

"Don't come home tonight, and just keep careful. Call me before you plan on coming back to the house."

Axel heard Lea snicker across the line, and the child's response did not surprise him.

"I never _'plan' _on coming home. I just do. If I tried to plan it, I'd end up not coming back at all. And by the way, I can take care of myself, ugly." He finished, and hung up. Axel sighed heavily, and walked out the front door. He looked around, and noticed Ventus looking at him as he walked out, with an unreadable expression. Then, the kid smirked again.

Axel shut the front door behind him, and decided to go for a walk. He walked down to the end of his road, and suddenly stopped, remembering where he was. He sighed. The stop sign.

He chuckled, a little weakly, and then walked over to the sign, patting the side of it. He'd thrown up under it a few years ago when he'd gone back to his old house after his father had died. He looked down, examining the ground underneath it to see if it still had traces of the stuff under it, but there was nothing. It was like it never happened. Axel exhaled, and relaxed a little.

He wondered how Ventus had known, known that something was going to happen. Axel knew that things had already been going downhill in every department for a while, but he had a foreboding feeling, that something really wrong was coming. But he just couldn't make out what it was.

Axel walked around his neighborhood, letting memories flood onto him. Most were lonely memories, and then he came upon the place that he had first met Saix. He smiled sadly, remembering how they had been the best of friends. How had Saix been so easily mislead by Xemnas? Axel didn't fully understand it. He shrugged, and started to go back to the house.

When he got home, he noticed that Ventus was gone. Sighing, he fell onto the couch. Then he remembered the incident with Selphie, and he got off it. He didn't feel like going back to his old room, and he didn't want to 'invade' on Lea's privacy. So, he went to his parent's old bedroom. It struck him how everything was the same. He remembered his mother rocking him to sleep when he was tiny. But, it was just little fragments of a memory. It was just a blur, but it made him feel happy again.

He lied down, and immediately fell asleep, feeling an absence of worry. This room would be off limits to anyone outside the family. This was the only room in the house that Axel felt like his mistakes didn't matter anymore.


	3. A Coming Storm

Xemnas lied in his cell, staring at the concrete ceiling above his head. This confine had been his home for over three years. While all of his Organization Thirteen accomplices had weaseled out of long jail sentences, Xemnas would be forced to wait three more years before he could even dream of open air. "Half way there," he murmured with a chuckle, and began to close his eyes.

There was a slam on the compound doors, and footsteps thumped towards his cell, reverberating. As Xemnas peered out from between the bars of his enclosement he noticed that the walking guards were creeping towards him. He stepped back as his door was unlocked and he was cuffed. "You have someone here who wants to speak with you," growled one as they hauled Xemnas out of his cell and towards the door. He was brought into a long hallway that led to the visitation room overlooking the prison's courtyard and gated entrance. As they entered the room, Xemnas' eyes drifted from the windows to the various prisoners that spoke with their guests at open green tables lining the walls. Xemnas' gaze was attracted to a bald headed man seated at the far end of the room near the entrance, and his shoulders bristled as the elderly man glanced at him and narrowed his eyes. It was his father.

The man was tan, like Xemnas, with piercing dark rimmed yellow eyes, but his facial hair and clothing were meticulously tailored. The dust that settled over everything in the room glanced off his person and floated aimlessly, reflected in the sun's rays. Xemnas' father watched as his son was led towards him by the police, who seated him, uncuffed him, and departed to the other side of the room to deal with another inmate. The old man in front of Xemnas grimaced, as his grip tightened on the end of his cane. "You should have greeted me before you sat down and waited for me to tell you to be seated," He murmured, "You have still failed to learn respect." The voice that had haunted Xemnas all his life, that sound of gravel rolling back and forth in a cushioned box, still made Xemnas afraid. "I apologize," tried the prisoner, standing up, but his father shook his head. "This is no lesson, boy. Sit down." Xemnas did so, and his father watched him.

"Xemnas, why do you think I have come here?" he continued.

"I cannot fathom it, sir," Xemnas replied, and his father cleared his throat, the gravel rolling again. "I came to help you," he murmured. Xemnas furrowed his brows in confusion. Three years ago, before he had been sent to jail, his father had spat upon him, telling him he was no longer his son. But now, here he was, willing to help.

"After the mess you made of things, after I paid for the beginning of your operation and you threw it back in my face, I was enraged," explained the old man, "I did not see it fit to associate myself with such a traitor. And to think, _you _would inherit my empire!" he added, chuckling. "But, I cannot let my only son rot in jail, that would make me a bad father. So I am willing to help you."

Xemnas smiled in spite of himself and wove his fingers together. "How do you intend to do that, father?" he murmured, "My case is iron shut." His father chortled and folded a hand over his chest, indicating with the other. "But are all of your cohorts?" asked the old man, then murmured, "it seems as though the eighth member, Axel, has a tainted history that we can use to our advantage."

"But he turned us in, father," Xemnas replied in a sigh, "they would not condemn their only witness."

"He is not their witness any longer," growled his father, gripping his cane and leaning forward, his eyes piercing into Xemnas' as he spoke. "We have hunted for loose ends the state failed to mention in the case concerning the red head. He was a good friend of the first convicted, Xion. He was friendly with the Castle Oblivion employees and yourself and Saix, yet he turned on you all in the blink of an eye," hissed the man, his eyes shining. "How can the state afford to continue supporting such filth if _I _go up against him? They do not need him anymore."

"But they would not abandon him," replied Xemnas. His father chuckled, rubbing his bald scalp. "Xemnas, you know little of the bureau," muttered the old man. "They will use anything to catch their victims, and fling away those used just as fast."

Xemnas pondered it, adding, "He did know a lot of personal information pertaining to the company."

His father smiled, but Xemnas shook his head, his strange respect for Axel hindering his decision to cheat him. It did not seem correct to turn him in. Axel had always been uncatchable. Though, Axel had himself cheated countless times to slip out of blame. Xemnas glanced out the wide window that lined the adjacent wall, staring towards the entrance of the prison and wondering how it felt to walk free. His father scrutinized his movements in silence, but spoke as Xemnas sighed. "Do you want my help?" asked his father. Xemnas hesitated before nodding, standing up, and bowing. "Yes, of course," he murmured, "Thank you father." The warden lumbered over to tap him on the shoulder and Xemnas nodded, bowing once more to his father before stepping away from his chair and following the warden back to his cell. As his son left, Xemnas' father lingered, glancing at the painted green walls surrounding him before standing and exiting the building with his eyes held forward.

Once he pushed through the front double doors out of the prison, he pulled his coat about him to escape the chill that penetrated despite the ensuing summer. Forsaken lifeless trees littered the area around the correctional facility, flaccid with exhaustion and dehydration, but a few held tightly to the mangy little buds dotting their limbs. The old man tutted as he passed, tapping his cane on the ground in irritation as he searched for his car. The sound of a revving engine caught his attention, and as the old man peered out over the landscape he saw a black car swerving out from the car park towards him. It turned in front of the building and stopped before his outstretched cane, the chauffer throwing the book he had been reading to the passenger seat as he jumped out from the driver's side. The young man trotted around the car, opened the back passenger door, and let the old man inside before returning to his own seat and starting the engine.

"What book distracted you from meeting me on time?" murmured the old man and his chauffer bristled, before cooling. "The Stranger," he replied, causing the old man to chuckle and sigh, "Interesting," before rubbing his eyes. The chauffer scanned the road through dark red-rimmed sunglasses, waiting for the barbed wire gates ahead to slide away so that their car could exit the compound. The steel frames heaved to the sides as the officer manning the entrance pressed the green button that pulled them apart. Until there was ample space to escape between the metal barbed doors, the old man's car inched forward in earnest. But when the space cleared, the engine revved again and the car sped forward, out onto the main road leading down the mountain. The peaks of the building blurred behind the car, and as they disappeared the chauffer let out a sigh of relief and loosened his hold on the wheel, relaxing his shoulders. His master snapped his fingers behind to facilitate his memory and sighed when his thought came to him. "I have grown tired of our companionship with Shinra and of Hojo," he explained, "He is weak and stubborn. If he slips again and directs attention from the bureau, he will take blame for our operation," added the old man, furrowing his brows and touching his forefinger to his chin. "The cogs are in place to insert Sephiroth as head of Shinra, and our plan will fit nicely with his plight for revenge. Our target will be in Midgar this week. We strike then."

His chauffer gripped the wheel and nodded, peering in the rearview mirror and then back onto the road. "How is your son?" he chanced, but his master snorted. "He has not changed," murmured the bald man, chuckling and leaning back in his seat. But he sighed, "I will use him in any way I can," adding, "And I must be good to my remaining offspring. I will soon prove sonless if I do not forgive him."

The chauffer's head snapped up at this. "Who is your son now, if he is not?" The old man pursed his lips at this and grinned at the chauffer, patting the young man's shoulder. "That is not a problem for your mind to think on. You have a job to carry out and you shall see to it that it is done right."

The chauffer's nostrils flared and he nodded, gripping the wheel again. But this time, he did not relax. He exited the road and merged with the highway that would lead them closer to the Land That Never Was, wondering if the old man had meant him.

…

Reno sat at his desk, taking his office in with pride. He had been promoted to Chief Inspector of the Midgar and Surrounding Cities Criminal Investigative Division of the Investigation Bureau over half a year ago, but by no means had he stopped gloating. Reno's branch of the Division had its own building stationed on the outskirts of Midgar. According to Shinra, the ruling organization in the city, Reno's division did not have the 'credentials' to get a building _in _Midgar, but Reno and most of the other employees knew the true reason for the company's concern.

Shinra Electric was getting nervous.

Four years ago, under the direction of King Mickey, the Investigation Bureau had perfected its plan to create a 'special unit' of the Division that would concentrate on the criminal affairs within and around Midgar. But all cases led back to the same place. Shinra Electric. It seemed as if every one of Midgar's top crooks had some affiliation with the syndicate. Shinra's security and 'crime' unit, The Turks, had opposed the installment of the new Bureau building, but when the Bureau proposed an alliance between the two organizations, Shinra Electric fell silent.

The main headquarters for the Bureau was in The Land of Departure, represented in King Mickey's monthly meetings with the other mayors of each city within their region's borders. King Mickey originally created the Investigation Bureau for Disney City. Then, surrounding cities began using it. After the trouble with the Land of Departure University ten years before, the Bureau became the official investigational unit for the whole region. Their new headquarters was built in the ruins of The Land of Departure and their old headquarters in Disney Castle became a library. But, excluding the Land That Never Was, Mickey's region had a very low crime rate. The mayor of the Land That Never Was, who had hindered the Bureau's creation of a unit within the city for years, had been thwarted, and Reno estimated that within twelve months a unit would be stationed in the building opposite the mayoral office in the center of the city.

Reno knew the crime in the Land That Never Was and in his region was connected in some way. The Land That Never Was directly bordered the region that Reno lived in, and it seemed that one elusive figure controlled all of it. An Investigation unit as close to Shinra Electric as possible was vital. And Reno had now been placed the lead of a seminal case, a case the Investigation Bureau hoped would change the course of crime culture.

The change in habitat was a relief to him. Reno had joined the Bureau after his father died, feeling it was the best way to repent for killing so many civilians as a Turk. When he applied to the Turk's head office for permanent leave it was granted through the support of Hojo, who reasoned with President Shinra. Reno did not know the exact words exchanged between them but he had a feeling it had something to do with an outside affiliation of the organization. Perhaps Hojo had convinced the president to let Reno leave to prove to the world that Shinra had nothing to hide. But Shinra didhave something to hide, and now the person that they had let go was trying to expose their secret.

Reno chuckled at the thought; not letting the fact that he was incredibly lucky sink in. He had applied for _this _higher position not expecting to get it. But he got it, though he was on thin ice because of his previous employment. He had been working on the Hojo case since he joined the Bureau as a mere detective, but now that he was a chief investigator he'd acquired more power than he ever could have dreamed. And now he held his own case in the palm of his hand.

Reno noticed a flicker of movement through the window blinds that peeked onto the area outside of his office. Then there was a knock on the door and one of the junior investigators shuffled in.

"So, Kid," drawled Reno, swiveling his chair around and setting the tips of his fingers against each other before adding, "What's up? Are they here yet?" to which the young man sighed and nodded. Reno frowned. "And?" he asked, encouraging Kid to elaborate.

"She's beautiful," sighed Kid in response while Reno held back a laugh and mumbled, "Well then, bring her in."

Kid nodded and opened the door, murmuring that the Chief Inspector was ready to see her. The woman standing outside returned a curt 'thank you' and marched inside the office, standing in front of Reno's desk and looking around. Reno tried not to gape, but Kid's description wasn't far off the mark.

The woman before him had striking pink hair that framed her face and curled around her left shoulder, with light rosy skin contrasting her cold eyes. Her outfit was military. Reno sat gob struck, until he was able to pull himself together. "Excuse me," he muttered, lowering his head, and coughed to break the silence. Then he stood up and shook the woman's hand. "Hello I'm Reno, Chief Inspector-"

"I read your files on the way here," interjected the woman, avoiding the hand Reno had just coughed into. "You were a former Turk?" she inquired. Reno shrugged, attempting a mysterious air. "Yeah, but, that's between Shinra and me," He murmured, setting his foot on his swivel chair and his elbow atop his thigh. As he did so, the wheeled chair veered to the right and Reno teetered. But he tried to play it off as if he was surfing with one foot in the water and the other on the chair, holding his hands out to affect balance. The woman before him raised an eyebrow, perplexed in a non-amused way. "So you are voluntarily withholding information?" she snapped in response to Reno's previous comment, making Reno narrow his eyes at her before hopping off his chair and shuffling through the data on his desk.

"I'm impressed in your studies," he drawled, picking up a file and turning it the right side up. It turned out to be his shopping list, but he pretended to read through it. Lightning nodded, continuing to examine the office as she corrected, "You mean in Bodhum?" Her eyes fell against a picture of Reno and his old friend Rude, another Turk, and her lips curled in suspicion as every bug in the room harmonized while Reno searched his mind for an answer to her question. "The light brand?" He tried. The woman pursed her lips.

"No. Bodhum, as in my hometown."

"Ah," Reno snapped his fingers, chuckling in affirmation. "Ah of course, _that _Bodhum. The one in?"

"It's in Pulse," replied the woman. Reno had never been good at geography. "Pulse," he mumbled, tapping his finger to the area between his upper lip and nose. He decided to make a joke, and began to beat his hand on his chest in a heartbeat rhythm. "It is on the Northeast border of Planet, your region," the woman elaborated, pointing in its direction relative to Midgar.

"Yes, I know what _region _I live in," snapped Reno in return. As the woman cleared her throat and prepared to introduce herself, Reno decided she had unattractive lines on the sides of her mouth.

"My Name is Lightning Faron," she began. "I was born in Bodhum and attended the military institute in…then I began to seek…after this award I…"

Reno nodded, attempting to _act _attentive. Then, he remembered that Kid was supposed to have gotten him her file before she came in. He began to hunt around for the paperwork as she continued speaking, but Lightning stopped her spiel, seething, "what are you doing?" as Reno shrugged and punched the intercom button on his desk. "Kid, the file," He shouted into the device, but his voice blared back at him through the speaker in his office. Reno yelped and Lightning jumped.

"Fu-!" began Reno, but he sucked in a deep breath before he could finish the word and ripped the intercom cord out of the wall, carrying the device with him into the open office. He trudged over to Kid and slammed the intercom down on his desk, causing all of the other detectives to look up at him in curiosity. Lightning leaned against his office door, watching as Reno jabbed his finger onto the machine's metal frame. "What the hell is wrong with this thing?" announced the chief investigator, glaring from one detective to the next with narrowed eyes. Kid stared at him and shrugged, so Reno grabbed the young man's thermos and shoved him out of his chair. Then, Reno stood on the chair and used the intercom to tap the thermos and get everyone's attention.

"Excuse me, excuse me," he shouted, making everyone glance up at him. Reno held up the intercom. "At approximately three o'clock in the afternoon, I pressed the intercom button to get Kid's attention. The intercom blared back at me, and it almost made me go deaf. Can someone please tell me what the hell happened?" One of the men in the back raised his hand and Reno pointed to him. "Yes, Max, report," barked the red head, standing up straight.

"Is your intercom hooked up to the speaker in your room? It's supposed to be hooked up to the speaker out here," The man drawled. There was silence. Reno looked around before throwing his arms up in the air.

"I'm trying to save chord!" he cried, "We can't just go around throwing money left right and center! It's wasteful! It's littering the ground with wires and plugs, and before we know it we'll be swamped in electric bills!" wailed the chief inspector. Lightning looked on as Reno ranted about all the electric appliances in the room, before he returned to the speaker, trailing off. Then he scratched his head in confusion. "So... why did I try to use the intercom?" asked Reno.

"You were looking for a file," Lighting responded.

"Yes, yes, of course I was, of course I was!" Reno bellowed in response, and then paused before clapping his hands and shouting, "Back to work everyone, we're catching crooks down here, not flies!" The investigators bent back towards their computers unfazed and Reno chuckled, pointing towards them as he turned back to Lightning with rolled eyes. "Incompetency at its finest, huh?" He chuckled, but Lightning did not respond. Seconds later Kid brought in Lightning's file and set it on Reno's desk. Reno began to read it as Lightning sat down in front of him. "You fought in a war?" mumbled the red head. Lightning nodded, sighing, "An epilogue to the War of Transgression, or perhaps the War of Transgression was the prologue. Pulse and Cocoon tricked into battling one another."

"Cocoon?" murmured Reno in response, and Lighting nodded again. "Our region's official name is Pulse. Cocoon is an independent city within. The area outside of Cocoon is officially called _Gran Pulse_."

Reno recalled hearing about the War of Transgression in his high school history class. There was a group of people called fal'Cie that the inhabitants of Pulse worshipped as gods. Then the inhabitants of Gran Pulse attacked the people of Cocoon, and something else. Reno scanned further down the page and stopped on a few words, raising his eyebrows. "Your real name is Claire Farron?" he asked, making Lightning cringe. "I didn't know they still put my birth name on my files. That is irritating."

Reno looked up at her. "Why'd you change it?"

"That is none of your business," snapped Lightning in reply, and Reno chuckled and shook his head, setting the file in front of him. At times, he couldn't understand women. Four or five tiny little words, one little sentence, could cause a catastrophic turn back, and a whole quarter of an hour of conversational progress was thrown in the trash. Reno thought he had been doing well up until this point. He closed Lightning's paperwork and stood up as she did, smiling at her and folding his hands behind his back.

"I think you and me should go out for a drink," blurted out Reno, "Get to know each other before we start into this nasty corruption case," he added with a wink, but Lightning pursed her lips. She closed her eyes, waited, and then cleared her throat.

"Thank you, but no thank you," She finally responded. "We are professional partners, not drinking buddies. I am eager to begin working on the case. The longer we waste time attempting to be friends the more time we lose figuring out what Shinra Electric is up to."

"What experience do you have with government corruption?" sulked Reno in response.

"I exposed centuries of corruption through the fal'Cie and the corrupt government of Cocoon, the Sanctum," Lightning snipped back, "I made sacrifices, I was forced to abandon my family, and I survived. Is that appropriate experience or should I have joined the Sanctum and then decided to switch sides when things turned out of my favor?"

Reno snorted, chortling, "Alright, slow down there, missy," worried at where Lightning was going with her speech.

"I wonder at the reason you were appointed to this case, sir," derided Lightning in reply. "Someone so uncouth entrusted with so much. I really wonder."

"What the hell are you getting at?" Reno exclaimed. Lightning's face was stone.

"You worked for the people this company is investigating. The fact that this unit did not allow their Chief Investigator to handle this case alone and the fact that they brought in a person like _me _to assist means that they do not trust you. Why would they, seeing as you are the only Turk that has ever escaped Shinra alive? You may be an expensive witness but I do not trust you. Even your 'stupid' act is blatantly obvious," she added with disdain. Reno's mouth fell open and he touched his chest in response to the wound, finally spitting, "I don't trust you, either!" causing Lightning to narrow her eyes and murmur, "If you ever feel the need to switch sides, just hand the case to me."

Reno panted, gaping for lack of words. "What makes you so sure that you won't slip up?" He leered.

"I have learned from my mistakes," shouted Lightning in response. Then, she closed her eyes. "We start the investigation tomorrow. My research is done. If we are cooperating we will compile individual findings tomorrow," Lightning finished as she filed out of the room.

"I hope you help me solve this case," snapped Reno in return, jumping up, but Lightning ignored him as she strode past the desks outside Reno's office and out the door. His colleagues stared after her as she left, and then at Reno. Kid shook his head. "The air's intense, Reno. What happened in there?"

"Listen up," Reno barked, pointing at everyone in the workplace. "I want all the research we've got on Shinra Electric. I'll compile everything I know, and then we'll organize the best way to write this out in order to show our lovely lady tomorrow."

"Does this mean we're in for an all-nighter?" complained a voice from the back.

"You bet your ass we are," replied Reno with a wide grin. "I'm not gonna have this pink haired floozy show me up! And I would stress the same for all of you, too! Take pride in your manliness, your honor, your pride!" Reno preached, feeling empowered. The men around him looked on dully, and a hand rose in the back of the room.

"Yes, Max. What almighty knowledge will you impart on us this time?" sighed the Chief inspector, and Max lowered his hand. "If I don't care about this pride stuff can I go home?"

Reno punched his fist onto Kid's desk, pointing at Max with an intense glare. "Hell, no! If you have no pride I'll have pride for you. Let's begin!"

Everyone groaned but got to work, and Reno ran back to his office, searching files on his computer and pulling up old Shinra programs that he had forgotten to erase. Most of them were useless things like recipes and music, and other 'recreational' files he had created at Shinra to avoid work. He'd delete it all before Lightning could see it, of course. He wanted to appear as professional as possible, to make her trust him. After failing to find any useful files he started to type down names and programs from Shinra that he remembered, codes and the like.

Reno had a great memory, so it was set to be a long night.

…

Demyx and Kairi sat on the floor laughing together and listening to music. It was one of the few free afternoons they had together after first getting their record deal. They had a month before they started their next album. Kairi looked at Demyx with fondness, humming the words to her favorite song. Then, Demyx put his hand around Kairi's shoulder and kissed her cheek.

"Well," He murmured. Kairi smiled. "Well, what?"

Demyx shrugged. He began to kiss her on the neck, and Kairi pushed him down on the ground and lay beside him, playing with the buttons on his shirt. Demyx shrugged. "I was just thinking about how pretty you are," He sighed as Kairi undid his shirt. "Are you trying to butter me up?" laughed Kairi in response.

Demyx smiled and picked her up, carrying her into the bedroom and laying her down over the covers. She put her arms up over her head and raised her chin. Then she giggled. "You look like a Cheshire cat," Kairi cooed, running her fingers along the outline of Demyx' face, which was crinkled with a huge grin. Demyx laughed. Then he became quiet as he reached his fingers under the hem of her shirt, pulling it up over her chest as he leaned towards her bare breasts. But Kairi snorted and folded her hands in front of her, thwarting him. "Hey, now," she mumbled, suddenly self- conscious. Demyx raised an eyebrow, before chuckling and lifting her hands away from her front, wrapping them around his neck instead. Then he rested his head on Kairi's breasts and kissed one of her nipples, smiling up at her. She blushed and looked away.

"You're pretty." He whispered, running his lips down her neck and over her collarbone. Kairi chuckled. "Don't be predictable," she muttered, biting her lip. Demyx grinned at her. Then he bounded up until he was standing about a foot away from the bed, and ripped his pants and underwear off, flinging them to the side. Kairi yelped, dodging to the left when he tried to pounce on her.

As Demyx wrestled with the mountain of pillows that had fallen over him in his failed attack, Kairi barked, "What the hell?" covering herself again. Demyx looked puzzled. "I'm being sexy," He barked, scratching his thigh and flinging a pillow to the floor. Kairi rolled her eyes.

Demyx stared at her, before sighing and rolling over onto his stomach, using his elbows to prop himself up. "What do you want to do?" He muttered, and Kairi glanced over his chest and blushed, making Demyx grin again. "Oh, so you want to check me out?" He snickered, spreading his legs out. Kairi gaped and threw a pillow at him, but he caught it easily and lied down again, folding his hands behind his head and closing his eyes. Kairi followed with her eyes the way his chest moved when he breathed. Then, her eyes trailed down to his stomach, and the line of hair that led from his belly button to his groin. Demyx' eyelashes fluttered as he snuck a peek at Kairi. When he noticed where she was looking, though, he blushed, mouthing 'oh'. Kairi examined his expression with curiosity, before clearing her throat.

"Being an only child, having a maid to wash me and clean me and feed me when I was tiny made me kind of oblivious," murmured the girl. Then her face brightened with memories. "I remember I wasn't allowed sit at the same dinner table as my parents till I was twelve, and I couldn't talk."

Demyx looked around the room. Their apartmentwas in Port Royale, a centuries old seaport that transformed into the new center for the film and music industry in the region. This was the base of Kairi and Demyx's band. "You know you're still living in a port town, still by the ocean," explained the man; "We couldn't separate you completely from your home." He smiled at her, and Kairi nodded.

"You're right. Oh, and there was something else," She added. Demyx glanced over at her again, inquiring, "What would that be?" Kairi shrugged before grinning. "I'd never seen a penis till yours."

Demyx stared at her a moment, but then he laughed, rolling over onto his stomach and wrapping his arms around Kairi's waist. "You're cute." He snickered. Kairi snuggled in beside him and blew in his ear, making him laugh harder. Then he lied down with his hands folded behind his head and closed his eyes, spreading his legs out again. When he peeked again, he caught Kairi as she stole a sideways glance at him. His eyes shone as he grinned wider and held up his hand. "We're on the brink. I've been joking around up until now but I don't like being pushed far. Either we go through with it or not," he added, indicating his hand for Kairi to take. Kairi felt uncomfortable, raising her eyebrows. Then, she cooed, "Make me feel like a princess," to which Demyx snorted. "Alright, alright," he murmured.

Kairi smiled and slipped her hand into Demyx's palm. Then, he grinned at her and kissed her again, slipping his arms behind her back and holding her close to him. Kairi sighed as he began to run his lips over her collarbone. He glanced his fingers up and down her back, stroking her hips, but Kairi's hands balled into fists from indecision. Demyx looked down at them, before returning his gaze to Kairi's face. "I'm gonna eat you," he whispered, moving his eyebrows up and down and nibbling Kairi's nipples through a crooked grin. Kairi giggled and rested her hands on the back of his head. "You're such a creep," she murmured. Demyx moved his hand down to her belly button, trailing circles around it while he kissed her neck.

"Is it alright if I touch you?" He breathed, as his fingers went down between her thighs. Kairi's head swam, but she nodded. Demyx let his fingers trail between her legs, but then he massaged her gently. "Could you kiss me now?" gulped Kairi, and Demyx nodded, letting his nose touch hers before his lips met her own.

A strange sound escaped her throat, and she put her hand over her mouth, her eyes widening in embarrassment. But in reply Demyx laughed and shook his head, whispering, "It's okay, Kairi. It's alright." Kairi closed her eyes and tried to steady her breathing while Demyx massaged her. Then she leaned into his ear and breathed, "I'm ready."

Demyx glanced at her with raised brows, and then nodded, leaning over the side of the bed and pulling a condom out of his pants pocket. Then he hunted around under the bed for lubricant. Kairi rolled her eyes. "Couldn't you have thought of this before?" she muttered, but Demyx ignored her and hummed until he located it and snuggled back beside her, hugging her close to him. "I'm going to go in," he whispered, looking into her eyes, and Kairi shut hers tight and blushed. Then, Demyx took a deep breath, and Kairi heard a ringtone.

"Your phone," she muttered, but Demyx ignored it. "YOUR PHONE!" she whined, and Demyx cursed as she kicked him off her and answered it.

"Hello?" She croaked.

"Hello, darling!" their manager drawled. "I'm jacking off," Demyx barked and Kairi covered the phone as he trudged to the bathroom.

"Demyx isn't here right now," she mumbled.

"Oh, pity, pity… have any good sex lately?"

"Uh..." faltered Kairi, playing with the tips of her hair.

"Back to what you were gesticulator-ing to... the fact that you are sharing an apartment with a man that you say you love- has nothing to do with whom you are sleeping with… and quite frankly you can sleep with who-so-ever you please, and still have this so-called 'boyfriend' so long as you don't get caught…"

"What?" responded Kairi flatly.

"Lovey, I'm not tryin' to argue, I'm just stating a fact of the matter."

"Demyx is out of the shower. You can talk to him now." Kairi interjected, and their manager snorted. "Oh, so the jacker in the backer was the man in question."

Kairi brought the phone out to Demyx, muttering that it was Jack. With a replying scowl he swiped the phone from her hands and trudged over to their office space, muttering as he set the phone to his ear and spoke into it. After a few minutes he returned and put the device on the bedside table, drumming his fingers on its surface. "What was he saying?" Kairi ventured, but Demyx shrugged.

"Oh, just the party to celebrate our new single. Lots of people to impress."

Kairi nodded and rubbed her temple. But Demyx smiled, kissing her on the forehead. "Sometimes I forget that you're still a baby," he sulked, throwing a shirt on. Kairi gaped at him and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not a baby!"

"You're a scaredy cat," sang Demyx, still sulking. Kairi blushed, replying in defense that she was answering an important call. "Oh, so we can do it now?" Demyx shot back, grinning widely. There was a moment of pause before Kairi ran for her clothes as Demyx lunged at her. She screamed with delight as she bounded into the living room and threw her dress over her head and pulled the door open, almost closing it when Demyx caught her by the face and kissed her. "You forgot your underwear," he whispered, twirling them on his forefinger, but Kairi snatched them from him and slipped them on before he could relinquish them. Cursing, he whined, "come on Kairi, we were so close. Don't leave me like this!" but the girl laughed, replying that they were out of milk.

"Get it later!" groaned Demyx. Kairi kissed him on the nose, but broke out of his grasp, running down the pathway.

"I'll be twice as dangerous when you get back now that you'll have left me waiting!" Demyx called after her, but Kairi blew a kiss at him as she strolled down the lane to their local grocer's. Her hands still shook by the time she reached the supermarket, and she held them out in front of her and examined them trembling as she went for the door. A bell rang inside when she opened it, but she skipped straight to the dairy section in her hunt for milk. When she located it she stood in line for the register.

As she waited, a couple of young girls came over and asked for her autograph. She beamed as she signed them. "Whom may I make these out to?" cooed Kairi, and the girls giggled. "Mary and Daniela," one of them gushed, and Kairi signed their autograph and they left in a fit of excited laughter. Only then did Kairi notice an older woman clad in green standing nearby, staring at her. For a minute Kairi ignored the elderly lady in discomfort, but when the stare continued to bore into her Kairi took initiative and turned. The two met eyes, but as Kairi waved in defiance, the woman began to walk towards her, holding her gaze. It made Kairi anxious. When they were mere inches apart from each other, the lady in green smiled, and Kairi smiled back, chirping, "Hey, granny," before she added, "I don't suppose you want an autograph," with a smile. The old woman's hand reached out and settled against the crook of Kairi's arm, holding it with a firm grip as Kairi's nervousness mounted to an inexplicable level. Just as the lady was about to speak, a middle-aged woman in blue rounded the aisle at their side and gasped, hurrying over and prying the green clad lady away from Kairi. "She's a character," snapped the blue clad woman with a defensive smile, "such interest shocks a lot of people."

"She's fine!" exclaimed Kairi in exaggerated response, adding, "She seems very sweet," with gentle care. To this, the woman in blue softened and held her green dressed companion's shoulders, leading her out of the store. "Come on, Fauny, let's go."

As the woman passed by Kairi, she touched her hand and whispered, "You have such a strong light about you." Then she stopped, before adding, "Protect it." With finality her blue dressed companion pried the woman away from Kairi, and the bell that signaled the exit and entrance of customers rang as Kairi continued towards the register in a daze, her milk clutched in her arms.


	4. Nightmare

**The fourth chapter is here! It is taking me longer to write this fan fiction than the last one- so I hope it is just as good if not better! The hard thing for me was overlapping many different story lines so they fit into one history, and toning the fantasy down a tad bit to suit each other. But, there are still many fantastical elements, and I think I like it that way! I hope you continue to read and enjoy!**

Aerith poked around the chips and crackers aisle at the grocery store, trying to find the perfect chips to go with the new style of dip that she had concocted with various odd ingredients around the house the night before. Then, she turned to Yuffie, who was swaying back and forth aimlessly beside her.

"The dip's kind of creamy, so I feel like something tangier would suit it really well."

"Who're you talking to, Aerith?" Yuffie said flatly, and Aerith sighed, putting a bag of chips she was holding back on the shelf. "I'm talking to you, Yuffie." She said calmly, and Yuffie folded her arms over her chest, pouting. "Then maybe instead of just blurting out a comment, you could ask me a question!" Yuffie piped up as Aerith moved further down the aisle.

"What's wrong Yuffie?" she said, turning around. Yuffie shrugged, and Aerith leaned closer to her inquiringly. Yuffie gave a mighty sigh, and threw her arms up in the air dramatically.

"Fine. Loz and I are fighting!" Yuffie wailed, and Aerith rolled her eyes, breathing out through her nose slowly.

"Yuffie" Aerith said slowly, putting a hand on Yuffie's shoulder. "It is perfectly normal for couples to fight. As long as that isn't the_ only_ thing you are doing, then I'm sure it will come out alright in the end. And I'm sure that if someone was taking advantage of you, _you _would know." As Aerith said this, Yuffie shook her head, sighing again.

"He never takes advantage of me, though, never! And that's the thing sometimes! When I'm mean to him, he doesn't fight back at all! He just sits there like a stone and takes it! But he doesn't ignore me either! So I feel like he's just gonna explode one day and go crazy! Or maybe even worse… break down and cry. I'd feel really mean, then! Sometimes I just want him to stand up to me and tell me what's wrong though, right?" Yuffie finished, panting a little bit from her dramatic tirade. Aerith sighed, and thought for a moment.

"You know, people with pasts have the tendency to clam up when people ask them what's wrong. I know that I did it. Sometimes I found that it was best for me to be alone, but most of the time I would've loved someone to hold me and ask me what was wrong. But it takes time for us to actually tell other people what's on our minds, because we tend to avoid it ourselves. Just give him a little bit of time, and don't get mad at him when he clams up on you. That'll just make it harder on him. It won't make it any easier for him to tell you."

Yuffie nodded at this, and looked up brightly. "Yeah, it's like forcing information out of someone, right? I'd be the bad guy! But if I'm nice about it… I'm the good guy! So I've gotta trick him into telling me what's wrong!"

"Uh, Yuffie, that's not exactly what I was trying to say-"

"-No, no, I get it, I completely get it." Yuffie assured her, patting her on the shoulder. Aerith pursed her lips, and decided to let it go, turning her attention back to the chips. "I think that these sea salt paopu chips would go well with it!"

Yuffie groaned. "What is it with you and the salty- and- sweet deal? Can't we just get some Mako chips, instead?"

Aerith frowned. "Mako chips are the most unadventurous chips ever created. They are bland, common, and extremely, dangerously over-processed. They may be 90% chemicals for all we know."

"Well" Yuffie said decidedly, picking up a bag and hugging it to herself "If that's the case, I wanna know what those chemicals are, and why they are so dang good! Actually, scratch that last part. I don't care why they're good." She added as a second thought. Aerith shook her head.

"Then it's decided." She said serenely. "Sea salt paopu chips are on the menu tonight." As Aerith said this, Yuffie groaned extravagantly, rocking the bag of Mako chips in her arms, and kissed the top of it. "Don't worry my love!" She cooed to the bag, fake- glaring at Aerith. "We shall be together eventually! As soon as I get Ms. Organic off our backs! She doesn't know what fine dining is…"

"I would rather support local sellers than some conglomeration in Midgar." Aerith snapped back, and Yuffie stuck out her tongue at her. "I wasn't talking to you, party pooper!" She said grandly, and put the bag of Mako chips back on the shelf.

As they went towards check out Yuffie eyed the bag of chips that Aerith had chosen with distain.

"How do you think Zack would feel if he knew you were having an affair on him with a bag of paopu chips?"

Aerith rolled her eyes, and ignored Yuffie.

"Ah, going with the silent treatment, are we? Is that denial I see? Admit it. You are having a passionate relationship with Organic foods. You can't have two lovers at once, Aerith. It's either Zack and Mako, or no Zack and paopu. And just who is that 'local seller' you're so keen on supporting, huh?" Yuffie went on, grinning at Aerith, who stayed in good humor.

"I have many passions. But I have one lover." Aerith said knowingly, and set down the items in the shopping cart in front of her. As Aerith emptied the cart, Yuffie went over to the sweets section, eyeing the different chocolate bars. When she saw one that she liked, she examined it, and slipped it in her pocket, patting it gently as she went back to her friend.

Aerith helped the sales clerk bag the groceries, and put them back into the cart, and then she strolled out of the grocers with Yuffie trailing behind her.

"Yuffie, do you have the bicycle? Put these bags in the back seat."

There was really no 'back seat' to the bicycle- it was just a standard bike. The 'back seat' was really just a four wheel cart attached to the back of the bicycle with some utility rope, and it acted as their mode of transportation whenever they needed to carry home heavy loads.

"Can I sit in the backseat with the groceries?" Yuffie said brightly, and Aerith raised her eyebrows at her.

"Yuffie, you're not exactly a kid anymore. Are you sure that that's not gonna be too much weight on the back?"

Yuffie crossed her arms over her chest in defiance, and stood tall. "You let me sit in the backseat the last time we got groceries, and I tell you, you are going to let me do it again."

Aerith stood her ground for a moment, and then acquiesced, indicating to the backseat. Yuffie clapped her hands together, and jumped in the backseat, examining just exactly what Aerith had bought for the party. Aerith shook her head, resolving within herself that she had to be stronger the next time, and started off the journey home. Yuffie pulled out various food articles and commented them as Aerith cycled home.

"We got sparkling paopu? Is paopu the theme of this get together or something?"

"I also got fizzy striped apple, that's your favorite, isn't it?"

"Is it Finches Striped Apple?"

"Well, no, it's a local seller."

"But Finches is the best!"

Aerith turned around a little, and raised her forefinger in the air as if ready to make her point. "But, wait a minute, here. This guy sold fizzy striped apple _before _the Hollow Bastion Massacre, and then he fled, and when he came back afterwards, he started the business back up again! So it has some history to it!"

"Fascinating. Was he a local seller back then, too?" Yuffie said flatly, and Aerith nodded.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Figures."

"Really, Yuffie, I think that maybe if you tried it, you might like it."

"Humph." Yuffie stayed silent for a moment, and then she took the candy bar out of her pocket, and unwrapped it, taking a big bite out of it. Aerith looked back at her, and then took a double take, gasping.

"YUFFIE! Where did you get that?" Aerith barked, and Yuffie looked up, nonchalantly shrugging.

"I got it from the store."

"I didn't see you paying for it!"

"That's because I didn't pay for it." Yuffie mumbled, and Aerith stopped the bicycle suddenly, letting the backseat crash into the back wheel.

"Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa!" Yuffie barked, checking the back of the wheel for damage. "Don't break the whole bike!"

As Yuffie said this, Aerith planted her feet on the ground, and began to turn the bike around. Yuffie jumped up to stop her.

"You cannot be serious!" she shouted, and Aerith looked at her angrily.

"We are going back to that store, and you are going to apologize for **stealing **that candy bar!"

Yuffie sighed dramatically. "Oh, come on! The grocer's is not gonna miss a couple of munny worth of goods!

"95 munny worth of goods, Yuffie, not just a couple. 95 munny worth."

Yuffie put her hands up as if in surrender, but still took a bite out of the bar. "Fine. I am officially a hardened criminal."

"No, you just need a cure for those sticky fingers of yours! Really, I thought that you got over that ages ago!"

"It was a tiny candy bar! No one is going to miss it!"

"How are you so sure, Yuffie?"

"Come on, Aerith, think about it. We are almost three quarters of the way home. If we turn back now, we're gonna be late starting the party."

This seemed to faze Aerith, and she looked as if she was having intense internal conflict within herself. She did not like the idea of being unprepared when all the guests arrived. Then, she turned the bike back around, almost savagely, pouting intensely.

"Fine." She said darkly, and then turned around to look at Yuffie. "But you will never steal another candy bar again, you hear me?" She said lowly and dangerously, and Yuffie nodded in fear, dropping the candy bar in front of her. Aerith narrowed her eyes at her.

"Well go on, Yuffie. Finish what you started. Finish the candy bar."

"But you'll be mad at me."

"Finish the candy bar."

Yuffie looked at her with wide, alert eyes, and Aerith watched her intensely as she raised the candy bar to her mouth to take a bite.

Yuffie took a very cautious bite, and then she looked expectantly at Aerith, who just smiled at her. Then, Yuffie relaxed, and Aerith smiled at her as she went to take another big bite. But, before she could stick the candy bar in her mouth, Aerith swatted at Yuffie's face with her hand, and Yuffie screamed, dogging it and in the process smushing the candy bar all over her face.

Aerith turned back around, satisfied, and pushed on the pedals of the bike, sending it forward, and continued the journey home.

"Do you have a napkin?" Yuffie grumbled, and Aerith shook her head in delight.

"Nope!" She said brightly, and Yuffie scowled at her in the back.

"And I suggest you don't get your hands dirty!" Aerith added. "Because you are carrying all this stuff in."

"Then what am I supposed to do about my face?" Yuffie whined, and Aerith feigned being deep in thought.

"Oh, I don't know!" she chirped. "I guess you'll just have to sit in the back with the evidence on your face to think about what you've done! A 19 year old young woman with chocolate all over her face, sitting cross-legged in the back of a kiddy cart with the groceries."

Yuffie folded her arms over her chest again, and pouted, messing with the handles of one of the shopping carts. "You will be a cruel and torturous mother one day." She said lowly, and Aerith chuckled.

"If my child grows up to be a good, chivalrous person, then I must be doing something right." She said happily, and Yuffie couldn't help but smile a little bit for her.

…..

Riku smoothed out the hair on top of his head, making sure every strand was perfectly situated. Then, he checked himself from all angles in the bathroom mirror, and sighed in contentment. Taking one more look at himself in the mirror, he looked left and then right, and then slammed his hands onto the mirror, as if he was pushing someone onto a wall. Then, he tried to do a sexy face.

"Hey Sora." He tried to say sensually, but it came out kind of high pitched, so he coughed and started again.

"Hey Sora, how have you been?" He said sensually, and then he feigned surprise, acting out Sora's part.

"Oh, Riku, don't come so close, you're making me nervous!" He said woefully, letting his palm fall on his forehead in diva like fashion. Then, he reassumed his sexy pose.

"I can't help it Sora, I want you so bad I can't stand it!"

"Oh no, Riku, Riku!"

Then, Riku passionately kissed the mirror. He was just beginning to wonder if his plan for a direct come-on to Sora was a little raper-ish, when suddenly, there was a loud banging on the door.

"Flipping hell!" he barked, throwing himself away from the mirror as if he had been caught.

"Who are you talking to?" His older brother shouted at him from outside the door.

"No one, dumbass!" Riku shouted back out to him, and then he heard more banging on the door.

"Unlock the frickin' door, I need to get my toothbrush!"

"Why do you need it?"

"Because I'm going for a job interview!"

Riku took one more look in the mirror, sighing. At least his hair looked good. "Fine." He muttered, and opened the door to let his brother in. The older boy barged in past him, and leaned in close to the mirror, examining a pimple on his forehead. "Dammit." He grumbled to himself. "Stress is what it is. I'm stressing about it."

"Do I care?" Riku mumbled, and his brother took one look at him, before getting him in a choke hold and giving him a noogie. "Aw, stop, STOP!" Riku roared, trying to ram his brother into the wall behind him, but his brother dodged him, and he hit his own head instead.

"RIKU!" His mother called from the kitchen. "What are you doing to your brother? He was just about to go out on a date! Don't ruin his look!"

"His look? He has a look, now?" Riku called from the bathroom, and his brother punched him in the shoulder. "You bet your ass I do, it's Mr. Suave, the lady killer!" he said in a low voice, running his hands down his front, and then patting his hips.

"You're so damn weird. And why the hell did you tell me it was a job interview?" Riku shouted, deciding that he couldn't stand another minute around his family.

His mother was sitting at the kitchen table, reading a magazine, when he went out the door.

"Bye!" He called to her, and she waved absently at him as he went out.

For a moment, Riku stood outside his house, shuffling his feet and taking a moment to assess his position in life. Riku was just finishing his first year of college, and the one that he had _really _wanted to go to required the Mark of Mastery Exam, which hadn't even been given officially since the trouble with Master Eraqus.

The Palumpolum Guardian Academy was in Cocoon, Pulse- as the region was collectively being called now. Riku had read all about it- and all about Cocoon, and the trouble with the Sanctum, and the way a few heroes had sprung up and made many sacrifices to save the day. It was any boy's dream. And to be in the middle of a recovering entity like that- right in the middle of a post-war, battered but hopeful atmosphere that was determined to teach equality, heroicness, and honor… would be amazing. It was what he imagined the Academy at the Land Of Departure would have been like.

But he didn't get in. Because to get into the academy, the applicant had to have taken some form of a 'Mark of Mastery' Exam (it had different names for different regions).

Riku had even requested a meeting with Yen Sid, because he had given King Mickey _his _Mark of Mastery exam. Riku could still remember the painful conversation.

"Do you think I can't do it? Because I am telling you, I definitely can!" Riku had tried to reason with Yen Sid, who still managed to stand tall and domineering despite being over 90 years old.

"Riku, I know very well that you can do it. But you have to understand that things are just not the way that they used to be! You should have come to me earlier so I could at least train you…"

"I did!"

"What? What did I say?"

"You said that things weren't the way that they used to be!"

"Ah. Well said."

"But Sir, you gave the exam to King Mickey! He wasn't even taking an official class or anything!"

"For the love of all good, Riku, he was a king! He needed it to be able to deal with the problems that were coming his way! He was my former apprentice and is still a good friend! I hardly even know you!" He had added, pointing in Riku's general direction.

Riku had been crushed. He honestly had not expected Yen Sid to turn him down.

As Riku was carried back to life, he realized that he had gotten down to the end of his street. He looked at his watch; it was four thirty right now, which gave him an hour to be at Aerith's house for their 'celebration'. Of what, Riku did not know yet. They'd already had one for Ventus, Roxas' new twin brother, and there weren't any new acquaintances that he'd heard of so far. It must've had something to do with their wedding.

But, he put the thought out of his mind, trying to think of what he could do in the time that was given to him. If he was fast enough, he _could _pay a quick visit to Yen Sid to see how he was doing, and then come back for the party. There was no harm in making friends with the guy. Anything could happen.

Riku chuckled to himself as he jogged down to the train station in Destiny Islands, and purchased a ticket to Twilight Town. He was lucky enough to catch the train that had just come in. When he got to Twilight Town, he walked past Main Street, and up an over grown path, passing by Namine's mansion in the process. He chuckled to himself, and continued on up past it, trying to remember which direction Yen Sid's tower was in.

When he finally noticed it, jutting up from above the trees of the small forest surrounding it, he was a little bit relieved. He looked back down at his watch, and sighed, shaking his head. He was supposed to come early to help set up for Aerith's party. It seemed that he would be a little late.

Gingerly, he knocked on the door, and heard the echoes rising up through the tower from within. After a few moments, the door opened, and Flora, one of Yen Sid's assistants, opened the door.

"Oh, hello, Riku!" She said brightly, and Riku couldn't help but smile.

"Hello, Flora, how are you?" Riku asked, and Flora sighed a little bit, and shook her head.

"Oh, Fauna's just a little bit sick right now, she's got me worried. I know it's probably nothing, but still."

Riku thought about the echoes, and suddenly felt bad for coming by at all. "I'm really sorry; I just wanted to talk with Yen Sid. Is this bad timing?"

Flora gasped, putting her hand over her heart and giving a little giggle. "Oh, not at all, not at all, Riku! You just come inside and make yourself comfortable, Yen Sid is in the study, but he should be down in a minute." She explained as she led Riku up the long winding staircase that lead up to Yen Sid's small library. "He's actually packing up for a small trip to the new military academy in Palumpolum, they want him to do a seminar there, and he'll be teaching a master class, isn't that just wonderful? And I was invited to go!" She gushed, chuffed with herself. Then a small shadow passed over her face, before she brushed it off, and continued on. "But I'm not going, myself, because I just _have _to stay and look after my dear Fauna!" She chirped, leading Riku through the castle.

"What about Merryweather?" Riku asked suddenly, and Flora laughed a little bit. "Oh, Merryweather is Merryweather! How could we keep her from what she wanted to do? She's left." She added at the end, a little flatly. Riku was surprised. The three sisters always seemed to be together. He'd have trouble just seeing two of them around now.

Flora knocked on the door to the study, and Yen Sid called her in. "I'll just go in with you." Flora decided, and she led Riku into the study, sitting him in a chair and asking him if he'd like any tea. Yen Sid was looking out the window and the room was bathed in light.

"Who came, Flora?" He said in a deep, commanding voice.

"Riku." Flora said, and Yen Sid turned, a little bit surprised. "I was just thinking of you." He said curiously, and turned away from the window to sit at his desk. Riku twiddled his thumbs, a little uncomfortable, as Yen Sid appeared to be examining him. For a moment he had the crazy idea that Yen Sid was looking into his soul, which creeped him out. As he gave a shiver, Yen Sid chuckled.

"Why did you come to see me, Riku?" Yen Sid finally said and Riku shrugged a little bit.

"Just to see how you were doing." Riku tried, thinking to himself that it sounded really lame. Yen Sid looked at him again, this time with narrowed eyes, and shook his head.

"How is college treating you, Riku? Do you have any idea what you want to work at, yet?"

"I don't know." Riku said dumbly, as Flora handed him a cup of tea and a plate of lemon biscuits, and Yen Sid sighed.

"You know, I have been thinking it over, and I believe that I was a little bit selfish." He said suddenly, and Riku almost coughed on his cookie, looking back up at the man in wonder.

"Why do you think that, sir?" Riku said in confusion, and Yen Sid sighed.

"I think that I have kept you from your destiny." He said finally, and Riku hid his face a little, to try to keep from smiling. For some reason he just couldn't take that comment seriously.

"You see, when you came to me some time before, asking me if I could give you the Mark of Mastery Exam, no, even before then, when you first asked me to train you for it, I said no. It was partially because I did not want to meddle in something that I had previously been used to doing my own way, something that had turned into a big official… thing!" He said indicating into space, and Riku looked at him dully, waiting for him to continue.

Finally, Yen Sid massaged his temple with his fingers, and continued. "But really, the reason was that I was tired. I was retired, I was old! I didn't want to train another group of young people to be 'guardians' of sorts, because for one thing, as I said before, I was tired, and the other thing, too much had gone wrong in the past! And I was denying the fact that trouble was seething like snakes under all of our feet!" he finally bellowed, and Riku cowered a little bit, not quite knowing where this was going. But Yen Sid continued on, trying to reach his point. "I watched it rise up! I watched the seeds being planted; I watched the ones who planted them! And now that the weeds have grown up into towering plants, hacking off the tops isn't going to help us! We need to find out what is at the center of the roots, hidden beneath the soil!" He boomed, and Riku was sent over the edge. Well, literally. Yen Sid seemed to have calmed down, as he smiled to himself.

"And that is why we need new, young people with hope in their hearts- such as yourself- to start a new order of justice! We elder ones that have survived the world's worst cannot just sit back and let the world go to pot… what are you doing lying on the ground?"

Riku jumped up off of the ground, trying to rearrange the chair that he had toppled over.

"Sorry, sir, you just… got so passionate there, you know… scared me a little" Riku mumbled, and was a little relieved to notice that Yen Sid was not really listening to him.

Riku decided to try to allay the situation, and he sighed, putting his hands out in front of him. "Sir, it's alright. I'll find a way to make my dreams come true. I can do it by myself."

Yen Sid looked down as Riku said this, and sighed. "But you can't, Riku. And you need to realize that. You need to use the fallen hands of the past to help hold you up, so you do not share the same fate as they did! You cannot become one of them!"

Riku pursed his lips, and looked down onto the ground, noticing a picture leaned on the wall.

"Who's that?" He said curiously, feeling like the name was on the tip of his tongue.

"It's a portrait of Xehanort." Yen Sid said, looking around at Riku again.

"Ah! I remember him! Sora found his old reports, when he posed as Ansem and I…" Riku looked away, as if a little bit embarrassed, and Yen Sid continued for him.

"…and he influenced you from 'beyond the grave', so to speak. Tell me, Riku, what was it about that man that enticed you?"

"He didn't 'entice' me at all. I just kept seeing all the similarities between me and him, and when I was doing what Maleficent wanted, I felt… I don't know…" He ended, sighing to himself. Yen Sid looked off into the distance, as if deep in thought.

"What did Maleficent say to you, to persuade you?"

Riku looked off, and suddenly felt very ashamed. "She told me that if I wanted to carve out a path in life for myself, I should take any road necessary. And she told me not to tag along after Sora anymore. That made me mad." Riku faltered on the last sentence, because he did not mean to say that.

"Because you were jealous of Sora?" Yen Sid ventured quietly, and Riku suddenly felt anger inside himself.

"Well, yeah, it made me angry! Sora had his whole path practically laid out and polished before him! He was meant to be a hero from the day he was born! And when his dad became the head of the newly formed Investigation Bureau- and he had already been on the board with Master Eraqus and them when the University in the Land of Departure was still there- you wouldn't believe it! It was like Sora became famous, or something! All the kids in school had heard about his dad, and stuff, but my dad had never done anything like that! My dad was never even there…" Riku finished, and sat back, a little surprised at how much he had blurted out. "Sorry." He managed to mumble, and Yen Sid nodded.

"Really, it is quite interesting to hear the way you think on these things. How did it make you feel when Organization 13 tried to use _you _against Sora?"

Riku chuckled to himself. "It was still about Sora- 'the key'. It was always about him."

"But, you saved him, which makes you just as much of a hero as he was." Yen Sid commented, smiling, and Riku looked up at him again in wonder. "Maybe" Riku acquiesced, and Yen Sid chuckled.

"But, you know? The most interesting part of the story, for me, is Ansem… and the events surrounding the beginning of his hatred for Xemnas."

"I don't know the answer to that, exactly." Riku confessed, but Yen Sid did not smile.

"Oh, I know the answer to it. But only partially. It is rather irritating, being told confidential information and not being able to tell anyone else. I have many secrets that I cannot tell. It is a help in a way, but it is a hindrance, too. Sometimes the full story just needs to be put out in the open… but, anyway, back to the picture." Yen Sid said briskly and Riku looked confused.

"What?"

Yen Sid pointed to the picture of Xehanort, and Riku remembered what they had been talking about previously.

"What exactly do you know about the man in the picture?" Yen Sid asked curiously and Riku thought for a moment.

"He wrote out scientific reports in Ansem's name when Ansem was the mayor of Radiant Garden, and he did a few experiments without Ansem's approval, and then it lead to Ansem fleeing Radiant Garden and the Hollow Bastion Massacre. That's really the extent of my knowledge."

Yen Sid nodded gravely, turning back to the window. "Then you do not know the full story." He mumbled, and then turned back to Riku again, this time smiling.

"Goodbye Riku." He said finally, and Riku stood up, utterly confused.

"What? What are you talking about?" he said in bewilderment, and Yen Sid smiled at him mysteriously.

"Don't you have somewhere you need to be?"

Riku nodded, as if in a trance, and then remembered something that had popped into the back of his mind, along with his knowledge of the picture.

"Oh! I heard of this old professor who proctored the Mark of Mastery Exams with Master Eraqus, I was wondering if you would have known him. I was thinking of finding him and asking him to teach me-"

"-If you are speaking of whom I am thinking, I am telling you Riku, you must never go near him. You are too much like… hmm…" Yen Sid went into deep thought again, and Riku sighed, getting a little irritated. The guy seemed like he just _really _did not want Riku to do the exam. So, Riku figured that he had nothing more to do, than to leave.

"By sir." He mumbled, a little bit disappointed and a lot confused.

"Do not call me sir." Yen Sid rumbled behind him, and Riku spun around, wondering if he had done something wrong.

"Call me Master, the next time you see me." Yen Sid said slowly, letting it sink in. Riku opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish for a moment, and then he clapped his hands together, and ran his fingers through his hair. "Oh my- you mean, are you saying what I think you're saying? You mean me- be your apprentice- for the Mark of Mastery Exam? Oh boy…" Riku's head was swimming, and he didn't quite know where to go, everything seemed so perfect that he feared this was a dream that he would be taken out of. Yen Sid sighed, and went back to a suitcase that was seated near the door, one that Riku had not noticed before. He began to put books into it, and Riku felt the urge to go help him, but he didn't want to be a nuisance.

"You will start your training after I return from the master class I will be hosting in Palumpolum. You must come every day after that, if your day is filled with classes you will come at night, I will give you subjects that it would do you well to study, etcetera, etcetera… Oh, and have a good day." He added quaintly, and tipped his hat at Riku as he left the room.

"Flora, could you show this young man out? And show me out, too, for that matter?" He added humorously, and Flora laughed heartily. "Of course, sir!"

"We will be seeing much more of this young man from now on, Flora." Yen Sid commented and Flora looked up in surprise. "Oh!" She breathed, leading them to the door.

Outside the door were two men in black suits and sunglasses, with stern expressions on their faces. Yen Sid placed his hand sternly on Riku's shoulder, and looked directly at the two men.

"Take your sunglasses off." Yen Sid growled, and the amount of power in it scared Riku a little bit.

The men looked a little bit taken aback, and they removed their sunglasses gingerly, looking around them with caution.

"What are you here for?" Yen Sid said dangerously and the two men looked at each other, and then back at him.

"The star seeker." They said quietly, and Yen Sid loosened up.

"I would've invited you two in for some tea to get to know you better, but that is not possible, seen as you two were late."

"How did you know?" One of the men said in awe, and Yen Sid sighed.

"Because I was looking out the window."

"Ah."

"Well, that aside, you two look like honest men. Put your sunglasses back on, and accompany me to the train station."

"We have a car."

"And how do you expect me to get to the airport in a car when there are no roads for the car to drive on?" Yen Sid snapped and the two men looked at each other, and smiled.

"We know a few side roads." One said mischievously, and Yen Sid sighed.

"You will park your car in my tower's ground floor, and you will accompany me to Palumpolum, first by train, and then by plane. Do you hear me? There are other people who know about the side roads, and those same people would rather take care of their business quietly than out in the open, say, on a train, for example." Yen Sid rumbled and one of the men stopped him.

"And what did those 'same people who would rather take care of business invisibly' do during the Incident, huh? Trust us; we know how to do our jobs-"

"- We will go on the train. And, furthermore, I would not have you talking like Shinra." Yen Sid thundered angrily and the two men in front of him went stock straight, and then nodded briskly, going off to park the car inside the tower. Riku stood on, dumbfounded, as Yen Sid waited for the two men to return.

"Master? What just happened?" Riku asked, and Yen Sid grimaced, as if bracing himself.

"I would hope that you do not find out for a while." He sighed, and as the two men came back, he put his arm on Riku's shoulder again. Then, Riku, Yen Sid, and the two men in suits went back down the overgrown path, and back to the train station in Twilight Town. As Riku parted with them, Yen Sid patted him on the shoulder.

"Remember, son, what I told you. And also, my study will always open for those who have strong hearts, like you." He said cryptically, and Riku nodded, trying to decipher in his head what Yen Sid had told him.

"Oh." Yen Sid added and the two men behind him grumbled about the train leaving soon.

"Look after your friend Sora while I'm gone. Make sure you are at his side." He said seriously, and Riku nodded, his heart skipping a beat. What was going on?

Riku waved to Yen Sid as he boarded a train that went past the beach, and over to the small airport on the outskirts of Twilight Town. Then, he boarded his own train, which would lead him straight to Hollow Bastion.

He sat down near the door, patting his leg. When he looked at his watch, he saw that it was already nearly 5:30, so he was definitely going to be late to Aerith's. He sighed, and sat back, admiring the sunset outside the window. His head was swimming, and he was still a little bit jittery from what had just happened, and he was fearful for Yen Sid. He was sure that the two men Yen Sid had met were body guards. But why did a retired old man need body guards? Did Yen Sid know too much or something? Riku chuckled before he could stop himself, and remembered an old mob movie he had watched on TV a while ago.

He took a deep breath in, and tried to smile. He was on his way to becoming what he truly wanted, and he had been given the mission to look after Sora again, which he secretly relished. But he couldn't help but think that something bad was about to happen.

Well, at least things were going to get interesting.

…..

Aerith ran back and forth in excitement, checking the clock every few minutes.

"Loz, could you take out the plates, and the silverware? Yuffie will show you were it is in a minute. Leon! Where is Cid? He better not be on his computer… and can you set up the tables, too? Yazoo, help me mix up this dip please."

Yazoo nodded serenely, and went over to the dip, reading out the ingredients and then concocting the dip for Aerith. "Would you like me to make the dish presentable?" He said calmly, and Aerith nodded at him briskly, telling him where the paopu chips were.

"Cid!" she called, and Cid trudged in from outside, with a spatula in his hand.

"I was grilling the beast!" he barked, waving his spatula in the air, and Aerith looked up to the ceiling.

"Alright, Cid. Is the meat ready yet?" She asked, and Cid snorted.

"There is no exact time for a beast to be ready. Every animal is different- unless it is fake. There is a fine art to cooking an animal, Aerith."

"Alright, Cid." Aerith called after him as he went back outside, and she caught herself giggling a little bit. Namine went into the kitchen then, and asked Aerith if she needed anything done.

"Is it 6 o'clock yet?" Aerith wailed, thinking that she was starting late. Namine shook her head.

"No, we all just came early to see if you needed any help!" She said brightly, and Aerith sighed.

"All the guests are coming early!" She said to herself, and Namine asked again if she needed anything.

"Oh, could you mix up some salad? And I've already got the food in the oven, but do you think that you could mix up some lemonade, too? And it would be really nice if you could just shape the dough for the bannock bread. And, I'm guessing that you don't know how to make sky blue mousse?"

"I do! That's my favorite!" Namine said briskly, and Aerith's face brightened up. "Do you think that's too much?" Aerith said as a second thought, but Namine waved her off.

"It's fine. With Xion and Roxas helping me out, it'll be completely fine."

Aerith furrowed her eyebrows. "Does Roxas know how to cook?" At this, Namine laughed a little bit.

"I don't think he needs to know how to cook to mix up some lemonade, or knead some bread dough."

"Oh, I know, I know. It's just…. I guess what I meant, is that… is he careful in the kitchen? He doesn't break stuff?"

Just as she said this, there was a crash in the front room, and Roxas staggered into the kitchen. "It's fine, everything's totally fine!" he reassured everyone. "It was just the coat hanger. I just tripped over the coat hanger…" Then, he maneuvered his way back out into the living room to pick up all the coats that had fallen on the ground.

Aerith and Namine stood beside each other for a second, and then looked at each other.

"He can do meet and greet." Namine decided, and Aerith nodded in agreement. Just then, Ventus walked in, asking if anyone needed any help, and Namine grabbed him, and got him to do the lemonade and the salad. When Xion came in, Namine had her knead the bread, and Namine got started on the mousse.

The oven timer went off just as Roxas popped his head in to tell everyone that Riku had arrived. Ventus looked over curiously as Riku came into the room, and stopped himself from gaping a little bit. The man standing a few feet away from him was very attractive, and he remembered him only slightly from the last celebration at Cid's place.

"Riku, could you help Leon with the tables and stuff? Thank you, you are such a big help!" Aerith gushed, and then ran back to the oven to open it up in order to take the rest of the food out, and Namine put the mousse in the fridge for later. Then, Aerith called for the bread, and Ventus brought it over for her, and she put that in the oven, setting it for thirty minutes. When all of this was done, everyone sighed a little bit, and then managed to find something else to do.

"All the plates and stuff are set out, is there anything you want me to do next?" Loz asked, and Aerith tapped her chin, nodding. "Can you take this food out and set it outside so it can cool a little bit? Put it on the platform so it doesn't burn the table cloth."

"What platform?"

"Oh, Leon will get it for you."

Yazoo raised his hand at this point, eyeing the various foods in their trays with slight distain. "Do these need to be made presentable, too?" He said coolly, and Aerith shrugged. "If you want." She chirped, and Yazoo nodded, taking the trays in his arms, and converting some of their contents effortlessly into more 'presentable' ones. Aerith was surprised by his skill, but did not have time to dwell on it, and Axel barged in the door, with Lea tagging along.

"Hey! We brought sea salt ice cream!" Axel roared as he walked in, adding quieter "courtesy of Reno".

Aerith ran over and helped Lea carry the bags of ice cream to the fridge. Lea looked at her sheepishly the whole time, standing back a little when she bent over to put the ice cream on the bottom shelf of the freezer. When Axel spotted him, he tapped his little brother on the shoulder.

"What, Axel?" Lea said flatly, and Axel looked at him sternly.

"Hey, I know what you were doing."

"What do you mean?"

"Stop checking out my friends' butts!"

"Why should I? **You **check out their butts all the time!"

"Well, I'm the adult."

"What the hell has that got to do with anything?"

"Watch the language, Lea." Axel snapped, and Lea stuck his tongue out at him, before stalking off outside to help with the tables and chairs. Axel sighed, and Aerith smiled at him.

"Tough kid?" she said in amusement, and Axel sighed.

"You have no idea." He chuckled, and Aerith's eyes lingered on him as he took a deep breath out. When he caught her though, she looked away instantly, pretending to be doing dishes.

"What're you looking at?" He said mischievously, and Aerith shrugged. "You just look exhausted, that's all."

"Well, I'm taking the break up hard. It's a new group of firsts for me." He said, chuckling, and Aerith looked at him with curiosity. Suddenly, though, he softened a little bit, and took her hand in his.

"Aerith, I'm really sorry for the way I acted the last time I came over. I didn't mean… well, I did mean to come on to you, but I want you to know, that I was just being mean… well, I was just…. It was a combination of me being mean, and me thinking that I could just get whatever I wanted- which I now know that I can't." He blurted out, as if forming the right thing to say verbally. Aerith put her hand over his mouth to stop him, and smiled.

"Axel, I think I understand. You don't have to explain it to me. I know that in a way, you still like me." As Aerith said this, Axel's face fell a little. "Thanks." He mumbled, and Aerith stopped him again.

"But, as I was saying, I understand. I know that you're lonely, Axel, and everyone has different ways of coping with that. And you don't believe in yourself at all, that's why you were so hurt when Selphie dumped you, of all people Axel, Selphie? I mean, I know that she's a lovely girl, but she messes around, and-"

"-and she's just like me." Axel finished for her. "Except stupider. I got what was coming to me. I deserved it."

"No one deserves to be hurt, Axel. Especially you."

Axel looked up at her in astonishment. "After all that you've been through, you believe that?"

Aerith looked at him with an unfathomable expression, and then smiled. "People become who they are for different reasons. Maybe you were just influenced different, as were every other person who doubts the goodness in themselves."

Axel chuckled. "But _some _people deserve a good kick in the ass, right?"

Aerith thought for a moment, and then shrugged. "Some people deserve a _wakeup call. _But I think that that is different from being truly, hurt." Then, as if something popped into her head, she turned around. "We need the bannock bread out, and the jam and honey. Yuffie, could you get the rose honey and the golden jam out of the fridge?" Then, she trailed off, and Axel folded his arms over his chest, shaking his head.

Riku walked into the kitchen to see if there was anything else that he could do, and as he looked around he met eyes with Axel, who grinned at him sensually. Riku stood still for a moment, and then did a 180 degree turn, and tried to go back outside, but Axel grabbed him by the arm, and put his own arm around Riku's shoulder, pulling him close.

"Hey, buddy, what's going on with you?" Axel said cheerfully, and Riku tried to figure out a way to break out of Axel's hold. "I'm fine." He muttered, surprised at Axel's strength for being so slim.

"I heard that you liked boys." Axel said softly, and Riku pursed his lips.

"Yeah, so did everyone else when I came out two years ago, Axel. It's not new."

"I know, I know. But, I was just with Selphie for such a long time, and _because _I was _taken _for so long, I didn't see much of you, you know? Because I hung out with Roxas a little less… but now, that I'm _single _again, I think I'll have the _opportunity_ to see you a lot more, right?" He cooed, and Riku felt his heart skip a beat, but he glared at Axel, putting on his macho persona. "I have stuff to do." Riku said coldly, and Axel rolled his eyes, letting Riku go. Out of the corner of his eye, Axel saw Ventus leaning against one of the walls.

He wasn't particularly glaring, he was just kind of staring off into space, but when he noticed Axel looking at him, he gave him that penetrating look that he did with so many people, and Axel felt the undefeatable urge to avert his gaze away from Ventus. But, he pulled his strength together, and strolled over to Ventus, commanding himself to look the boy in the eye. Ventus stared up at him with an innocent, boyish look.

"Hey, Axel. What's going on?" He said sweetly, and Axel shook his head, chuckling.

"You are quite the actor, aren't you?" Axel said grandly, and Ventus' smile faded a little bit.

"You won't even play along?" Ventus said serenely, pouting a little bit. Axel could not quite put his finger on it, but Ventus was doing something to him. He was making Axel want him.

"No." Axel said, shooting Ventus down triumphantly, and the boy glared at him darkly, before looking away. Axel could have just left things were they were, but he felt the need to go a step further.

"Is that it?" He snickered, and Ventus looked up at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Is what it?" He said coldly, and Axel looked back and forth, feigning searching for something.

"Your secret weapon, Ventus. Where did you leave it?"

Ventus grimaced, and looked away again, and Axel could see the hostility building up inside him.

"When you were in my house, you said that you had something on me that would ruin me if it got out. Well, I'd like to see what it is."

Ventus looked down at his feet, seething with rage, but tried to mask it, watching to see if anyone was walking by them.

"Where is it?"

"It's not here yet." Ventus said through gritted teeth, and Axel patted him on the head.

"Course it isn't. You were just lashing out at me, like any kid would do. But I have to say, you're a lot sicker than any other kid I've met." He said, and he felt a little pang inside himself, thinking that maybe he'd gone too far. Maybe he was the one that was the kid.

Ventus continued to look at the ground, and Axel waited for him to respond, but he didn't. He just looked up at Axel slowly, and darkness passed over his eyes again, making them almost look as if they were black. Axel pursed his lips, and even though he tried to will himself to keep his eyes on Ventus', he couldn't help but look away. Without saying anything else, Axel went into the kitchen again, smoothing out his shirt, and taking in a deep breath.

Ventus stayed out in the hallway, mulling things over in his mind, when Riku came out into the hallway to get something out of his coat, and see who else was coming. When he spied Ventus standing alone, he went over to him, and touched him on the shoulder. Without thinking, Ventus slapped his arm away, but Riku caught it easily, and put it down gently.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Riku said sternly, and Ventus looked up at him. It was the attractive boy that he had seen earlier.

"None of your damn business." He hissed, and Riku looked on in surprise. "Wait!" Riku called after him, but before he could do anything else, the front door opened, and Kadaj walked in, alongside Demyx and Kairi.

It seemed as if Kadaj had gone through an incredible transformation; he was smiling now and occasionally even chuckled at Demyx's antics. When Xion saw him, she ran over and gave him an enormous hug, kissing him on the cheek.

"Hi, Kadaj!" She said happily, and Kadaj smiled at her, looking around the room. "Are my brothers here?" He asked nervously, and just as he said this, Yuffie ran over and gave him a huge hug, almost tackling him to the ground. Obviously, Kadaj's transformation did not account for this, and as Yuffie kissed him on the cheek numerous times, he stood extremely still, with a stony expression on his face.

"Any brother of Loz is a brother of mine!" Yuffie gushed happily, running back over to Loz and kissing him on the lips. When Kadaj saw her do this, he tugged on Xion's shirt, and cleared his throat a little bit.

"Um, Xion?" He said in a low voice, as Xion turned towards him.

"Yes, Kadaj?"

"Is Namine here?"

"Yeah, she's right in the kitchen, helping Aerith set stuff up."

"Ah. I see." Kadaj said curtly, barely looking at his brother, who nodded awkwardly at him.

Then, he went back into the kitchen, along with Yuffie, Loz, and Xion.

"Did you meet Roxas' new brother, Ventus?" Xion chirped, and Kadaj furrowed his eyebrows.

"I don't believe that I have."

"Ventus! This is Kadaj, he's Loz's brother."

Ventus went over and shook Kadaj's hand coolly, putting on a sweet air. Xion went through a brief introduction of Ventus, and how he came to be part of the group now, and Kadaj seemed to examine him closely as Xion spoke, and it seemed as if Ventus was daring him to look into his eyes.

When they finished talking, Kadaj chuckled a little bit as he walked off, and Riku stopped him.

"What did you think of Ventus?" He said politely, and Kadaj looked back at the boy with a slight sneer.

"It is very odd. He reminds me of my previous self." Kadaj said airily, and Riku frowned.

"Did you notice that he kind of… stares?" As Riku said this, Kadaj snickered.

"Yes. It seems to be like a contest for him. And he always seems to win."

"Wait, did you look into his eyes?" Riku said suddenly, and Kadaj looked at him with a curious expression.

"Who would want to look into a mirror, showing all the corruption within oneself? I am not strong enough to do it… I don't know if I will ever be. Are you?" He said finally, meeting Riku's eyes. And Riku kept them. "I have nothing to hide anymore." Riku said honestly. He wasn't ashamed of himself anymore.

Kadaj looked at him in wonder for a moment, and then his expression changed back to one of unattached coldness. "I'm sorry, I don't believe I met you the last time I came here, and you are…?"

"I'm Riku, Sora's friend." Riku said suddenly, forgetting to check himself on the last part. He didn't want to be defined by Sora anymore. But he had said that for so long without realizing it, that it just became subconscious routine.

"Ah." Kadaj said, and filed into the kitchen to look for Namine. Riku looked around dumbly, not quite knowing what to do, and then sighed when the doorbell rang, and Sora walked through the door with Selphie.

"Hey, buddy!" Sora said, smiling hugely at Riku. Riku had never gotten to the 'final stage' with Sora, they only ever made out, and it pained Riku to see Sora with Selphie, somehow knowing that the two of them had.

"Hey Sora." He said, going into macho mode without realizing it.

"Hey, Riku! You wanna have a sleep over and talk about boyyysss?" Selphie said, giggling wildly. Riku frowned, and shook his head.

"Selphie, just because I'm gay doesn't mean I like painting my toenails and having 'boy talk' in pajamas with a bunch of 'girlfriends'."

"You described it in a lot of detail."

"It's a gift. I could write a book one day." Riku said flatly, and Selphie giggled again, waving him off.

"So you're saying you're not _that _type of _gay boy. _It's weird; I always thought gay boys were like girls on the inside, like they just wanted to be girls so bad-"

"-Okayyy, Selphie! I think that a great thing for you to do would be to help out in the kitchen!" Sora interrupted her, a little overly enthusiastic, but Selphie did not seem to care, and trotted off into the kitchen to help. Sora let out a huge sigh, and looked back at Riku with a pained expression.

"Sorry, buddy. Sometimes I think the filter is broken on her, y'know?" He said, putting his hand away from and on his mouth to indicate a filter. Riku snorted.

"Or maybe her filter is just _different _from everyone else's." As Riku said this, he remembered what he had wanted to say to Sora, and he cleared his throat, taking on a gruffer tone of voice without realizing it.

"Uh, Sora, you want to go upstairs for a minute? I just want to talk to you really fast …" he grumbled nervously, and Sora nodded curiously.

"Sure thing, buddy!"

As Sora and Riku mounted the stairs, and walked into the computer room, Riku's heart began to beat faster, and he got that terrible nervous feeling that he always did when he was around Sora. "Okay, calm it down, Riku, just calm it down…" He whispered to himself as he closed the door behind him, and then, he slowly turned back to Sora, who was conveniently leaning against the other wall.

"You okay?" Sora asked brightly, and Riku gave him a menacing look, and stalked over to him, putting his hands on either side of Sora's face, as if trapping him to the wall.

"Hey Sora, how have you been?" Riku tried to say sensually, hoping he was doing it right. He'd gotten enough love confessions in his school days to feel as though he had _something _to go by.

"I've been pretty good. How about you?" Sora chirped, and Riku managed to stifle a sigh, wondering if Sora was just dumb, or if he wanted to avoid this whole thing. Riku decided to go with the former.

"I want you Sora." He sighed into Sora's ear, waiting for a reaction, like a girly moan or something (at best), but he noticed that Sora was quiet. He looked back at the kid, and Sora wasn't even blushing, his face was scrunched up, like he was thinking deeply. This had not gone according to plan.

"What is it, Sora?" Riku said, masking his agony, and trying to turn up the sexiness to its full notch.

"Riku, maybe after I'm done with Selphie-"

Riku's anger got the better of him, and he punched the air, knowing that he would break something if he tried punching an actual object. Sora looked on dumbly as he stormed around the room. Then, when Riku came back to him, he cowered against the wall a little bit.

"Are you serious, Sora? _After Selphie? _Like Selphie is a current client or something? Sora, do you even like her?" Riku spat, and Sora pursed his lips.

"She's… fun." Sora tried, and Riku snorted, shaking his head.

"You know what your problem is, Sora? You never say no. You can't just say 'bugger off' or something like that; you can't even politely say 'not this time'." Then, Riku suddenly threw his arms around him, as if addressing a crowd. "'Hey everyone, come one, come all! Sora is open for business! Just wait in the cue behind the green line, if you please!'"

"Hey! I'm not like that!" Sora barked, getting a little bit upset. "I just like to help people! And when people like me, I tend to like them, too! That's a good thing, right?"

Riku sighed, giving up. "You're just leading people on, though, Sora. When you say 'you will always be in my heart', what do you mean by that? Just how much of your heart are you giving to people?"

"I can love whoever I want!" Sora shouted, putting his hands into fists, but Riku continued.

"You have never loved anyone, Sora! You've never had such a huge part of your heart go to just one person- you don't know how much it hurts! You seem to have equal parts of your heart set out for everyone, no matter who it is!"

"That's not true!"

"But it is! And you know it! That's what you did to Kairi, that's what you're doing to Selphie, and that's what you did to me!" Riku faltered on the last few words, and Sora looked at him sadly. Riku had to hide his face; he couldn't look at Sora after he'd said that. Then, Riku felt a touch on his shoulder, and then another on his other shoulder, and as Sora's hands slid up to his face, Riku's head raised up, and he noticed Sora smiling a little bit. "Sorry." He mumbled gruffly, and Sora suddenly kissed him.

"You wanna do it with me, don't you, Riku?" Sora said softly, as if it were a fact instead of a question.

"Yeah." Riku mumbled, getting very embarrassed. Sora nodded, and stood back from Riku, with his hands folded in front of him.

"Well, let's do it then, Riku!" Sora said happily, and Riku's bashful smile slopped into a frown.

"You're just gonna give it away that easily?" Riku said flatly, and Sora raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean, Riku?"

"Your virginity, you're just gonna give it away- just like that!" Riku said dumbly, and Sora laughed.

"I've already done it with Selphie, Riku."

Riku felt the burn as Sora said this, but he sighed, restating himself. "No, I mean, are you just gonna do it with a guy for the first time, like this? You know it's not as easy as you might think it is. It's not like doing it with a girl."

"I know."

Riku shut his mouth for a moment, not wanting to know what the implications of Sora's statement meant. But he had to ask anyway.

"Um, how would you… know?"

"Because I've done it with a guy." Sora chirped, and Riku pursed his lips, trying not to get angry again.

"Um, just between buddies… who would you say that that… 'guy' was, Sora?"

"Oh, it was Axel."

"It wah, buh- bah-deh- WHAT?" Riku blubbered; looking around him like the world had just ended.

"I did it with Axel." Sora said brightly, and Riku groaned. "You can't be serious…" he said to himself, but Sora heard him. "Oh, I'm serious alright."

"I know!" Riku snapped, and Sora put his hands up, trying not to chuckle.

"How long ago did you do it with him?" Riku said in a strained voice, and Sora had to think about it.

"Over two years ago. I kissed him, I think, a little while after I _first_ met him, but… I actually _did _it with him… just after all that trouble with Organization 13 finally ended. He treated me very well. And Riku, if _you_ ever happen to fall in love with him, don't be ashamed, he's really good…"

Riku looked around the room in agony, as if searching for an escape route so he wouldn't have to hear Sora talk anymore. The fact that Riku had waited for this long to lose his virginity to Sora, only to find that Sora had lost _his_ virginity _ages _ago, was shattering.

"Nooo…" he moaned to himself, putting his hands on either side of his head.

"It's okay, Riku! Axel taught me a lot of cool stuff; I can try it on you if you want! I was a very good student!" he said proudly, but Riku was trying to hold back tears. So much for his manly bravado.

"No, Sora! I wanted to do you!" Riku whined, and Sora looked at him, furrowing his eyebrows a little bit.

"I don't know, Riku. You seem more like a bottom bunk kind of guy, if you get my drift."

"Bottom bunk- what?"

"Do I really need to repeat it?"

"No, no, you don't…" Riku finished in agony, trying to end the conversation there and then. He tried to think of happy thoughts, like the fact that he was going to be taking the mark of mastery exam in an unspecified amount of time. It would give him more time away from Sora. It would help him get over him. Suddenly, the world seemed to get a tad bit brighter. He noticed Sora leaning down towards him, smiling at him.

"Riku, do you want to do it right now?" Sora said, a little bit excited. Riku looked at him in agony. He did not want to appear inexperienced beside _Sora. _

"No. Not this time." Riku said sadly, and Sora looked at him, a tiny bit surprised.

"Why not, Riku?"

"I just don't want to!" Riku said sternly, and then he softened a little bit, patting Sora on the shoulder, and smiling. "Anyway, we're here for Aerith, not for ourselves. And you don't want to disappoint Selphie, do you?"

As Riku said this, Sora smiled widely, and laughed a little bit. "Yeah, you're right, Riku, let's go!" he barked, and dashed out of the room in excitement. Riku shook his head, chuckling to himself despite everything. At least it was sunny outside.

As he went downstairs, he spotted Axel, trying to chat up Yazoo again. He seemed to be reclaiming his mojo. When Yazoo went off, decidedly fed up, Riku went over to Axel, trying to find the right words to say before he started to speak. He knew Axel wouldn't mind doing it with him, and maybe it would just be better for himself if he just went with it.

"Hey, Axel?" He mumbled gruffly, and Axel looked at him coolly.

"Hey, Riku, what's up? You wanna go somewhere?" Axel joked, snickering to himself, and Riku felt that this was the right time to jump in with what he wanted to say, and just get it over with.

"Actually, yeah, I do, but not right now."

Axel looked astonished at this, but then he settled back into his sly expression, looking Riku up and down mischievously.

"What's with the change of heart, Riku?" Axel inquired, and Riku shrugged.

"Ah, nothing. I just heard that you were good, and I… wanted to try you out…" he finished, coughing a little bit. He tried to appear as manly as possible, but Axel's cunning glance made him a little nervous.

"You wanna try me out, huh?" He snickered, and then he brightened up, patting Riku on the back. "Okay! Why don't you come over to my house tomorrow, so we can talk a little bit, huh?"

Riku nodded, sighing to himself. He had a bad feeling about what he'd just said. Somehow, he felt that he did not quite have the right to say 'try you out' to anyone, judging by the fact that he had no experience at all. He banged his head with his hand in frustration, and something he said to Yen Sid popped into his head.

'_I have nothing to hide.'_

Riku chuckled to himself, sighing. He felt like he'd been honest when he said that, but now, he wasn't quite sure anymore.

Just then, there was a ringing on the doorbell, and Riku absentmindedly went to answer it, but there was a scream as he reached for the door knob, and Yuffie tackled him to the ground.

"It's Zack!" She barked. "You can't let him in- we're not ready yet!" Yuffie giggled, and told him to wait a minute, making sure to keep the door closed no matter what the costs. Riku nodded, rolling his eyes, and then waited for Zack to try to unlock the door so that he could 'barricade' it against him.

"EVERYONE OUTSIDE! GET READY FOR THE SURPRISE!" Yuffie screeched from outside, and Riku wasn't surprised that he could hear it from the front door. He stood there for a few seconds, and then there was another knock on the door, and then another. Riku frowned to himself, wondering why Zack would keep on knocking on the door, even though he had a key to get inside. Then Riku chuckled. Maybe Zack had heard Yuffie's screaming from outside, too, and knew not to come inside.

The doorbell rang, then, and Riku's suspicion returned. Then, there was a very loud rapping on the door, and Riku felt sure that it wasn't Zack. "Yuffie!" He called, and Yuffie ran back in, a little bit irritated. "It's not Zack."

"But he said he'd be coming at 6 o'clock! It's 6:15 right now, he can't be later than _that…_" She said as she opened the door, and gasped. There were two policemen outside, with very wolf-like presences. Yuffie shuffled her feet, and then looked back up at them with big eyes, sighing, and put her hands out as if getting ready for them to be handcuffed.

"Alright, boys, take me in. I'm sure that there'll be some sort of interest or something on that 95 munny."

"Are you making fun of us?" One of the cops growled, and Yuffie's eyes became watery, and she tried to look defiant. Riku stood dumbly beside her, not quite knowing what to do.

"Why are you here, anyway?" she snapped. "We were just about to have a celebration."

Just then Aerith came inside to see what was wrong, along with Axel and Roxas.

"There he is." One of them sneered, and pushed past Yuffie, knocking her into the wall. "HEY!" She shouted at them, and Riku blocked her from going at them.

"Yuffie! Don't go near them! It's incredibly bad to hit a policeman!" He said gruffly to her as Yuffie tried to break his grasp. Aerith turned her attention to the officers, and tried to smile. "Gentlemen, what is the problem?" She said in a strained voice, but they ignored her, going further into the house.

"We got 'im." One of them said into their walkie-talkie, and then they trudged over to Axel, who was standing dumbfounded, not knowing what was going on.

"Hey, what's the problem?" he said cautiously, but before he could say another word, one of the officers slammed him against the wall, and pulled his hands up behind his back.

"Hey, I said what's going on!" Axel shouted, as they handcuffed him and pulled him away from the wall.

"You are under arrest for your previous involvement in the Organization 13 case. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say or do can be…."

As Axel was read his rights, Lea trailed into the room. His eyes grew big, and as Aerith shielded him, afraid that the police would take him off, too, Axel noticed as the boys head fell in shame of his brother. Aerith could see the fear and confusion on Axel's face, and she suddenly wondered about Zack.

"Where is Zack Fair?" She said suddenly, and the panic in her voice was unmistakable.

"Ma'am, how did you know this man?" One of the cops asked, pointing to Axel, but Aerith shook her head. "Where is my fiancé? He was supposed to be here at 6 o'clock! He's not usually late!" She said with tears in her eyes, and the cop shrugged. "I don't know, ma'am. Where was he up until now?"

"He was in Midgar, on a business trip with Sora's father. He got a job at the Investigation Bureau."

"Who is this 'Sora's father', ma'am?"

"He's the head of the Investigation Bureau!" She said desperately, tears rolling down her cheeks. "He went to Midgar to see the head of the division of the Investigation Bureau that takes care of Midgar, and to meet with Shinra, too! He hasn't come back yet!"

"Maybe he missed his flight." The cop said in slight irritation, and Aerith shook her head rapidly. "No, he would have called. Something is very wrong."

"Listen, we've got to get this guy to the police station, and get him taken in." The cop said to her, trying to sound understanding.

"Who wants to arrest me?" Axel shouted, and the cop turned around to him, frowning at the red head. "I don't know that yet. You'll probably find out soon, though."

As the cop turned his attention back to Aerith, Axel noticed Ventus, leaning against the staircase. When Axel met eyes with him, Ventus grinned wickedly, and then turned around and walked away. Axel didn't know what to feel, but the cops carted him off outside before he could do anything else. He couldn't even say bye to Lea.

Just as Axel was being taken out, another set of cops came into the house, tipping their hats to the two cops who had Axel, and looked around.

"Is there an Aerith Gainsborough here?" One of them said curtly, and Aerith nodded, and walked towards them, trying to regain some sense of calm.

"Yes? What's the matter? Is something wrong with Zack?" She said quietly, and the cops looked at one another.

"Ma'am, your fiancé, Zack Fair, is in the correctional facility in Midgar at the moment, awaiting trial." They finally said, and Aerith gasped.

"What the hell is Zack in jail for?" Yuffie barked, and Riku put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. "Yuffie, stop this." Aerith said sternly, and Yuffie backed down, looking down at her feet with tears in her eyes.

"What did he do?" Aerith asked calmly, and the cop sighed, scratching the back of his head.

"Your husband is under arrest for the murder of Rufus Shinra."

Yuffie gasped, looking around in astonishment. "Rufus Shinra is dead?" she mumbled to herself, wondering if it was a joke.

"I'm afraid that I can't tell you the specifics, but if you come down to the police station, I think we can give you a little bit more information."

Aerith nodded absentmindedly and asked Yuffie to get her purse, and Yuffie nodded, whizzing off towards Aerith's bedroom, and coming back with her purse. Aerith looked around inside it for some tissues to wipe her eyes with, and took a deep breath out, and Leon came inside to see what was going on.

"Yuffie, I'm going to go to the police station with the policemen, you stay here and hold down the fort for me, would you? You'll have to be the new host of the party."

Cid trudged into the room suddenly, and held Aerith firmly by the shoulder. "I'll go with you Aerith." He said kindly, and Aerith squeezed his arm, smiling at him. "Thank you so much for supporting me, Cid."

"I'll go too." Leon piped in, and he put his hand around Aerith's shoulder, hugging her. She sighed, and smiled at them both. "Thank you both. You are all so kind."

Leon and Cid nodded sadly, and went out with her to the cop car.

Roxas, Riku, and Yuffie, all watched, dumbfounded, as the cop cars slowly made their way out of the street, and down the back lanes of Hollow Bastion, where the delivery trucks for the supermarkets usually went.

Yuffie sighed, and then turned back to Roxas and Riku.

"Well, let's try to have a party." She said dully, and Roxas and Riku looked at each other, wondering if the idea would fly at all. Everyone would probably want to know what was going on.

Yuffie put on a stronger air, and marched outside with Roxas and Riku trailing behind. "What should we do about Lea?" She suddenly said, and Roxas shrugged.

"I don't know. He could stay here, couldn't he? Or he could stay with us, I'm sure my mom wouldn't mind." Roxas volunteered, and Yuffie nodded. "Yeah, we'll have to figure that one out. But right now, we've got to make sure the food goes." She decided, and went back out.

Outside, everyone seemed to be waiting for a summary of what had just happened, and it was obvious that they had all been talking about it amongst themselves already. Yuffie sighed, and stood up on a lawn chair, shouting to get everyone's attention. Riku and Roxas sneaked past her, trying to look like they didn't know what was going on so they wouldn't be asked any questions. Yuffie put her hands on her hips, and nodded to herself.

"As of right now, no one is leaving this garden till all of this food is eaten. And furthermore, there will be no more talking about what just happened. I don't care if you don't know shit, I'm not telling. And neither are Roxas and Riku." She added, and Roxas and Riku bent their heads down, trying to look inconspicuous.

"I'm the new host of this little shindig, so I just want to tell you all, I just want to say…I don't know." She finally decided, plunking herself down in the chair and pouting, trying not to cry. Loz went over to her and sat her in his lap, hugging her, and Sora suddenly jumped up, trying to instill good cheer in everyone again.

"Well, the dinner isn't going to eat itself, people!" Sora chirped, and everyone nodded, trying to smile a little bit. Then, they began to eat, and tried to talk about normal subjects, putting the previous events of the evening out of mind.

Riku sat in the back, and tried to eat, but he felt like he could only pick at his food. He kept thinking about the conversation that he'd had with Yen Sid, and how much the man had seemed to know, or could foresee. Then Riku glanced over at Sora, who looked happy and safe enough, and he began to feel a little nervous.


	5. Fair Play

**In the beginning, the story was very low key, but now as things are getting more intense, things seem to be getting more fast paced (for me, anyway). Please continue reading! **

A woman bent over, inhaling the scent of a group of beautifully arranged hydrangeas in a small plastic pot, and decided if she wanted to buy them yet. When she had made her decision, she picked up the pot, and brought it over to the checkout desk.

"Excuse me." She said politely, looking around for the storekeeper, and suddenly, she felt a strong hand on her shoulder. She turned around, and standing before her was an extremely attractive, tall man with gorgeous pink hair framing his face. He smiled at her warmly. "Do you need me to check you out?" He cooed, and the woman nodded dumbly, speechless.

She watched as the man wrung her up, and ran his fingers through his hair, and when he turned, she could smell the scent of roses off him. She inhaled deeply, and looked upward. "Here you are, ma'am. That will be 700 munny please." The pink haired man said finally, and the woman nodded feverishly, paying for her flowers, and leaving the shop in a daze.

Marluxia kept his sales person smile on for a few minutes, and then he watched as the last person left the shop. He sighed, and then his eyes trailed onto the last shop assistant, who was pretending to reposition some of the flowers. "Kala, go home." He said softly, and the girl nodded, blushing. "Oh, I was just getting these ready for closing time." She chirped, and walked hastily towards where her bag was, conveniently positioned right where Marluxia had been checking people out.

Marluxia watched her as she rummaged through her bag, and contemplated things. She reminded him a little bit of Namine. She was slight and small, and she was very sweet. She was pale like Namine, but she didn't have Namine's rosy cheeks, and her hair was a deep brown, not even black. And she had ugly brown eyes. But Marluxia reasoned with himself, if he did her from behind, he wouldn't have to look at her face at all. But what was the fun in that?

"Is something wrong?" Kala said, picking up her bag very slowly, as if she was waiting for Marluxia to invite her home. Marluxia chuckled. She had no idea what Marluxia was like outside the shop. He came off as prince charming with his employees and customers to support his good name, but he couldn't 'nice- up' his thoughts.

Marluxia wondered just how much she would let him do to her.

"You know, I think you would look very pretty with blonde hair." He finally said, and Kala's cheeks became flushed. "Thank you, I guess. Maybe I could try it." She said quietly, swaying from side to side a little bit. Suddenly, Marluxia grabbed her by the waist, and pulled her towards him slowly, inhaling her hair. She didn't wear any perfume.

"You smell so bland." Marluxia hissed, and Kala looked up at him with wide, chocolate brown eyes. "I can put on perfume. I have some in my bag." Marluxia let her go, and leaned on the counter, indicating her purse by nodding his head.

"What kind?"

"Sorry?"

"What kind of perfume do you have?" He said slowly, and Kala nodded briskly, pulling out a little plastic bottle of body spray. Marluxia looked away from her, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

"It's called 'ocean breeze'. I smelled it at the grocer's, and it's just beautiful! Do you want to smell it?" She gushed, and Marluxia put on a smile again, and took the bottle out of her hand gently, making sure to hold her hand a little bit before letting go. She sighed audibly, and it made Marluxia's lips curl up into the slightest snarl, she was irritating him so much. Then, when he had gotten a hold of himself, he turned around again, smiled at her warmly, and smelled the body spray, nodding to himself.

"It smells… lovely." He said, trying to make it sound genuine, and Kala smiled hugely, blushing again.

"Thanks!" She said softly, and looked up at Marluxia from underneath her eyelashes. Marluxia grinned at her.

"Would you like to accompany me outside?" He asked, putting his arm out for her to hold.

"I would love to do that!" She chirped, and they both went outside, and Marluxia locked up the shop. Kala waited expectantly, and Marluxia knew that she wanted him to walk her home. But if he decided not to come inside with her, it would be a waste. Marluxia took one more look at Kala, and pursed his lips, trying to decide.

"See you tomorrow." He finally said, and Kala put her head down in disappointment, nodding. "Alright, see you tomorrow!" She said brightly, and started to walk home. Marluxia looked at her as she walked away for a moment, and then chuckled to himself, shaking his head. He heard a snicker behind him, and he turned around to see who was there.

"Well, well, well. What a ladies man." Larxene said grandly, with her arms crossed in front of her. Marluxia grinned at her, and slipped his arm around her waist, kissing her on the cheek.

"How have you been?" He murmured, and she shrugged her shoulders.

"So-so. Who was that chick you were talking to?"

Marluxia snickered, and looked back to see if the girl was still in sight, but she was gone.

"You shouldn't have let her walk home alone, Marluxia. That was a jerk move."

"Well, she can get raped for all I care." Marluxia snarled, and Larxene looked back at him in surprise. Then, she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Someone is in a shit mood." She said quietly, and Marluxia fluffed up the back of his hair.

"She was irritating me. She was such a turn off."

"Everyone who wants you is a turn off to you, Marluxia."

"No!" Marluxia reasoned. "You'll never guess what she did when we were in the shop." Larxene looked uninterested, but she asked what the girl did anyway.

"I go in to kiss her, and she smells…"

"Like what? BO?"

Marluxia stuck his tongue out in disgust. "I think I would've had to kill myself if she'd smelled like that. No, it wasn't that bad. She just smelled like… nothing!" He sneered, as if the last word was like acid. Larxene snickered, and shook her head.

"And then I ask her if she has perfume, and she says yes, and then guess what she takes out?"

"What did she take out, Lux?"

"She took out body spray! From the local grocer's!" Marluxia hissed, shivering from the thought. "And it wasn't even flower scented! Ocean breeze? How the fuck can someone bottle 'ocean breeze'?"

As he said this, Larxene laughed out loud, and Marluxia looked a little hurt. "What?" he snapped, and Larxene looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"Gee, Marluxia. You expect so much out of women. Shit, the way you talk, not even _I _measure up to your standards."

Marluxia grinned at her as she said this, and tightened his hold around her waist, slipping his other hand behind her neck, and pulled her closer to him, running his nose over her neck. "That's not true, Larxene. You smell wonderful."

"It's Jasmine soap." She ventured, and Marluxia chuckled.

"Jasmine. Sexual."

"I try."

Marluxia looked at her like a predator, and she returned the glance, as if challenging him. Then, he smirked at her, and began to passionately kiss her on the neck, as she giggled with delight.

"Lux, STOP IT! We're in the middle of the street!"

"No one is out right now." He said, looking around. Then, he bit her, leaving a noticeable mark on her neck. "Let's do it right here, Larxene. No one's out, if we we're sneaky; we could probably get away with it. Or we could be loud. Would you rather we did that instead?"

Larxene pushed him away, and seemed a little bit irritated. "Fuck off, Marluxia. I'm not gonna be a part of one of your sick fantasies. You had Namine for that." She added, and saw the effect it had on Marluxia with glee.

"Had." Marluxia repeated, and Larxene laughed at him. "It was your fault that you wasted your time on her. You could've done her plenty of times, but you decided to wait. And that's your fault, not mine. So you can't take it out on anyone but yourself."

"Next time I won't be so stupid." Marluxia snarled, and Larxene snorted.

"Next time… how hopeful…" she mocked, circling him, and Marluxia looked over at her coolly.

"How's yours doing?" He inquired, and Larxene stopped in her tracks, looking back over at him with a forced smile.

"Mine?" She questioned innocently, and Marluxia sniggered at her.

"Your 'dream'. Axel." He said, and was surprised to see Larxene smile genuinely.

"He's in a bit of trouble at the moment." She sighed, fake pouting.

Marluxia stood breathless for a moment, and then grinned. "What kind of trouble?"

Larxene shrugged, and then looked up at him seriously. "Did you know he was arrested last night?"

When Larxene said this, Marluxia formed his mouth into an 'o', trying to keep from laughing.

"Really? How did you find that out?"

"I called his house, and then it turned out that Xion was there, and I asked what was wrong- you know, I put on my 'sweet' voice- and she told me the whole damn story. And then she said 'but don't tell anyone else, I'm not supposed to be telling everyone.' And then she said she felt bad, and then I promised her that it would stay with me."

"Which it didn't." Marluxia interjected, and Larxene smiled.

"Of course not. You should just listen to her talk. She's too damn sweet for her own good. She reminds me of Namine, except stronger."

"Really?" Marluxia said, suddenly curious. "Is she the girl that is living with Namine now?" He speculated, and Larxene nodded.

"But I will say this for her; she's not as irritating as Namine was. She has a spine."

Marluxia grinned, mulling things over in his mind. Then, he suddenly thought of something. "If it's to do with the Organization 13 scandal, then Axel will probably need help." Marluxia said to himself, and Larxene breathed out deeply.

"Are you gonna try to get him to _give_ Namine and Xion to you? Because you do know it's not gonna work, right?"

Marluxia looked up innocently. "Who said anything about Xion?"

"Quit the ignorance game, Lux. You wouldn't have shown so much interest in the kid if you weren't thinking about getting her in bed with you." Larxene snapped, pointing her finger accusingly at Marluxia, who backed up, putting his hands up in surrender playfully.

"You know me too well. But, that aside, I know that it's not going to work. I don't think that Namine would give herself up that easily again. She's too scared of me. And I heard that she's got a_ new_ love interest." He said, with a twinge of jealousy in his voice. "Poor Axel won't have anyone to protect him." Marluxia said in mock sadness, and Larxene gaped at him.

"Oh, Lux… you're not onto _Axel _now, are you?" She barked, and Marluxia shrugged.

"I remember an interaction we had a while back… he _needed _something from me… and you should have seen his face, his body… he was very cute… he seems like he would be very fun to take advantage of…" Marluxia thought out loud, and Larxene shook her head.

"Well, I'm finished with him. I'm fed up with him, and I think he deserves to be locked up for a good while. Maybe he'll learn a little bit of discipline while he's in there. I hope he comes out with his tail between his legs." Larxene hissed, clenching her hands into fists. Marluxia looked at her in awe.

"You're going to testify against him?" He said serenely, and Larxene nodded.

"Let's just say if anyone comes by asking questions, I won't be answering in his favor." She cooed, and then cackled, obviously pleased with the way things were going. "I knew he would get what was coming to him someday, though. He meddled with people too much to slip out of everything without a scratch on him. And now he'll be the one falling the hardest, if things go down well."

"You are a savage nymph." Marluxia chuckled, and pointed his finger at the sky. "It's getting dark, princess. Would you like me to walk you home?"

Larxene smiled, and slipped out of his grasp. "I came here by myself, didn't I?" She murmured, and Marluxia took that as a no.

"I just came here to spread the message." She said cuttingly, and Marluxia grinned.

"Thank you Larxene."

"No problem, Lux."

Marluxia stood, in taking everything that Larxene had said for a moment, and then started off home. He thought of the glory of getting everything he wanted. Namine and Xion seemed to come in a pair. Those would be the hard ones to figure out. He didn't have anything on Namine. But he was sure that he would be seeing Axel soon. And he couldn't help but look forward to their next encounter.

….

Aerith sat in her pajamas on the couch in the living room of their house, with Yuffie by her holding her hand. It was a somber mood, and no one knew quite what to say. Namine had offered to fly over to Midgar to get Zack released on bail, and she had already sent in the money to get Axel released, but the authorities were talking about keeping Zack for longer. Axel was supposed to get out this evening. Sora had called his father, who was flying back over by plane to talk to the family.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and Aerith went rigid. "I'll get it." Yuffie choked, and hurried over to the door. Sora's father rushed in, addressing Aerith, who stood up, and almost seemed to float towards him, shaking his hand absentmindedly.

"Hello, are you Zack's fiancée?" Sora's father said caringly, and Aerith nodded, trying to smile. She didn't say anything, so Sora's father sat her back down, and took a seat across from her, folding his hands together.

"I was outraged at the carelessness that the policemen showed you when they told you of Zack's arrest. He is a wonderful man, and he talks about you all the… I apologize…" he said suddenly, and Aerith looked off into the distance as if she was in pain.

"But, anyway." He continued, smiling at her. "We have some of the best detectives in the field. And we think that something dirty is going on under the surface of this accusation. I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions." He prompted, and Aerith nodded. Sora's father looked around expectantly, and everyone else filed out of the room, leaving Aerith alone with the head of the Investigation Bureau.

"Did you know that Sephiroth may be released, again?" Sora's father said, and Aerith looked like something had snapped inside her. "What?" She said ethereally, and Sora's father ran his fingers through his receding hair.

"I just thought you might like to know that. But, now, I must ask you, did Zack have any enemies, say, within Shinra? Is there a reason why he could have been framed like this?"

"How did you conclude that he was framed?" Aerith said hollowly, and Sora's father sighed.

"You know that the unit of the Investigation Bureau for Midgar was developed in the more recent years, don't you? The Turks handed out the justice for so long, but they are a corrupt organization, their interest is not in justice, it is in Shinra. We believe this case may plume into somewhat of a battle between Shinra's organization, and the Investigation Bureau."

Aerith closed her eyes, trying to push back her anger. "It makes me sad to know that my fiancé is acting as ammunition for another stupid war in the Planet." She said slowly, and Sora's father looked down at his feet. "I am so sorry. I did not mean it that way. What I mean is; why is Shinra trying to get Zack locked up?"

"I need to know who accused him." Aerith said coolly, and Sora's father sighed. "A man who calls himself Master Xehanort was very good friends with President Shinra, before he was mysteriously assassinated. Master Xehanort is the man who is driving the case against Zack."

Aerith furrowed her eyebrows. "I'm sorry, I don't know who that is." She said curiously. "How is Sephiroth involved in this?"

"The talk seems to be heading in the direction that he will be the new head of Shinra."

Aerith gasped, and stood up suddenly, visibly angered. "How did that happen?" she said in a strained voice, and Sora's father tried to get her to sit down again. "There was a board meeting amongst Shinra and its benefactors, and it seemed as if it was unanimous. Sephiroth was chosen."

"Who got Sephiroth out of jail?" Aerith said suddenly, and Sora's father chuckled without helping himself.

"That is the thing. He is not out yet. They are revisiting the various cases brought up against him. He has already been cleared for his involvement in the construction scandal in Hollow Bastion and Shinra Electric has dropped charges that they put against him, the only thing left seems to be you."

Aerith looked up in bewilderment. "Me?" She breathed, and Sora's father nodded.

"They will be questioning the validity of your accusations against him for rape."

Aerith cracked again, and stood up, angry. "Do they not believe me? They did the rape kit, didn't they? They know that he broke my wrists!" She fought back tears, and Sora's father sighed.

"I'm telling you that you have to be strong through all of this. They will say terrible things about you- and they will be able to get away with it in court, but you must show the jury how wonderful a woman you are. They can't believe Sephiroth, a man with such anger in him, over you, such a sweet, caring creature!"

Aerith wiped tears from her eyes, and forced herself to sit back down again. "Okay." She said flatly, and Sora's father nodded. "We've planned a little bit of a trip for you!" Sora's father tried to say, and Aerith looked up in confusion.

"Namine helped tremendously with that. The trial is being held in Midgar, and you will be able to see your home town again, and we've arranged for you to have a meeting with Mr. Fair."

Aerith nodded through all of this, and then asked when the trail was. "It's the day after tomorrow." Sora's father said quickly, and Aerith nodded. "I'll go whenever you want me to."

"Well, we booked a flight for you tomorrow, so you can pack up tonight, maybe have a bit of a sending off. And then you should be good to go. We're going to be sending over two very trustworthy gentlemen to look after you on your way there, and I will be accompanying you anyway, to see that you arrive there okay."

Aerith nodded through all of this, and then Sora's father coughed, getting ready to say what seemed to be the biggest thing on his mind. "And, if you don't mind, we'd like to bring you over to the Investigation Division near Midgar, maybe ask you a few more questions."

Aerith chuckled to herself, and nodded. "I'll do what you want." She said quietly, and then she got a tissue out of the small box sitting beside her, and blew her nose quietly.

"Well, then. I think I'll be off." Sora's father said suddenly and he got up, and motioned to Yuffie and Leon and Cid, who had just filed back out to see if everything was okay.

"Yuffie and Leon, you will have to come too, since you two were the witnesses."

Yuffie bent her head tiredly, and Leon nodded. "Okay." They acquiesced, and Sora's father said goodbye to them all.

Then, Sora's father disappeared out the door, where a car was waiting for him. Yuffie watched him drive off, and then she smiled, going back and sitting beside Aerith. "What did he say?" She asked slowly, and Aerith shrugged.

"I'm going to Midgar tomorrow." She said loudly, trying to be strong, and Leon sighed.

"It was nice of him. Coming in and doing that for you. He's doing everything he can for Zack. It's wonderful that we have a man like him on our side." He said absentmindedly.

Aerith smiled, nodding. Then, she sighed, and looked out the window. "Sometimes I wonder if this is the way it's always going to be with Zack." She whispered, and Leon came over and held her hand. "What are you talking about?" He asked, and Aerith chuckled. "Me always waiting on him… him going away for years, and coming back without any warning… maybe I'm just not meant to be happy." She said to herself, and bent her head over. She began to cry silently, trying to hide her tears from everyone else. Leon looked angry.

"It's Sephiroth, isn't it?" He snarled, and Aerith took his face in her hands, hugging him to herself. "Don't get angry." She said through tears, and Leon wiped at his eyes. "He haunts you like a ghost!" he growled, and Aerith tried to laugh, forcing a smile. Then, it faded, and she frowned a little bit. "I know he's mad at me. I just hope he doesn't come near me again."

Leon grabbed her hand, and firmly placed his other hand over it. "He won't. We won't let him this time!" he said fiercely, and Aerith hugged him. Then, the phone began to ring, and Yuffie bounded into the kitchen, picked it up, and brought it back out to Aerith.

"It's Namine. She's asking if you want to come over for dinner. Everyone's gonna be there." Yuffie tried to say brightly, and Aerith nodded, summoning up her courage. "Yeah, I think that would be wonderful! I need to thank her for all her kindness!" she added, and went off upstairs. "Can you help me get ready, Yuffie?" Aerith asked shyly, and Yuffie nodded with vigor. "I sure can!" She chirped, and flew up the stairs after Aerith.

When Leon was sure that Yuffie and Aerith were upstairs, he sat down on the couch, and put his head in his hands. "Damn!" he said to himself, and Cid stood silently to the side. "They're gonna tear her to pieces in that court." Cid said sadly. "And she doesn't even have Zack to console her."

"How could they do this to such an angel?" Leon said angrily, standing up and then sitting back down again, not knowing what to do.

"I think we're on the verge of entering something much bigger than we might have thought before." Cid said quietly, and Leon nodded.

"What the hell is Sephiroth becoming the leader of Shinra for? It's corporate suicide! He'd never make a good leader!" Leon snapped, and Cid shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe he's smarter than you realize, Squall." Cid said sternly, and Leon looked over at him angrily.

"Don't call me that!" Leon barked at him, and Cid stood up, and grabbed him by the shirt. "Listen, Leon. I know the reason for the way you're acting right now, but you getting all angry is not gonna help Aerith anymore than it's gonna help the police solve the case! You're not a damn hero! You're just like the rest of us!" He said cuttingly, and Leon looked away. "I don't know how you got it into your head that you should have been able to 'save' everyone during the Hollow Bastion Massacre! You were a little kid; you couldn't have done a thing! I couldn't have done a thing! And now you still can't do a thing. And you're going to have to come to terms with that." Cid added gruffly, and Leon sighed. "I can't just sit by and watch. I've done that too much in the past. What can I do to help her?" He said pleadingly, and Cid sighed. "Be there for her. Be there for her when she falls, so you can pick her back up again." Cid reasoned, and Leon nodded.

"It's too bad. Zack was supposed to do that." Leon said quietly, and Cid sighed. "Zack always seems to come around when things are easy, he's never there when things get tough!" Cid growled, and Leon looked at him in astonishment. "Do you not trust him?" Leon asked, and Cid sighed again, rubbing his temple. "Sometimes I just wish that she hadn't fallen in love with him. Things would have been easier for her if she hadn't."

Leon nodded at this, and shoved his hands in his pockets. "But you don't know that." He mumbled, although Cid didn't hear him. They heard Yuffie's voice getting closer, and when they looked up, Aerith came down all dressed up, with a beautiful flowing blue dress on, and she was washed, and looked much better than she had before. Yuffie whispered to her how beautiful she looked, and Aerith blushed, looking over at Cid and Leon.

"You look pretty, Aerith." Leon said happily, and Aerith smiled. "I'm afraid that I look a little flushed. Do you think that I should put some make up on?" She said nervously, and Cid snorted. "You're too pretty for make-up, Aerith!" He said kindly, bowing deeply to the girl. "Besides, in my time, only whores wore make up!" He bellowed, and Leon maneuvered him back up to the computer room.

"Alright, Cid." He said suddenly, chuckling to himself. "Let's get you back upstairs. Are you finished with the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee stuff?"

Cid grumbled about having to do a little more, and Leon smiled back at Aerith as he led the man up the stairs. "She should have fallen in love with you." Cid mumbled to himself, and Leon asked him to repeat himself, because he hadn't quite heard what Cid had said. "I was just saying that she looked pretty." Cid snapped, and Leon nodded, wondering if that was what Cid had really said.

As Yuffie locked the door behind her, Aerith tried fixing her hair a little bit. Aerith still had on her pink hair ribbon, which Yuffie couldn't persuade her to take off. Instead, she had covered it with a blue ribbon, but one of the corners peeked out, still barely visible.

"Maybe you can sleep on the train for a little while." Yuffie offered, and Aerith nodded as they walked down to the train station, and past the city square. "It's getting prettier and prettier here every day." Aerith said serenely and Yuffie nodded. "Yeah, they're really fixing the place up, aren't they? They're supposed to be getting in a few more shops. There's gonna be a new boutique, soon, and a bakery."

Aerith nodded to herself. "Fresh bread. That would be wonderful."

They walked into the train station, and Yuffie bought them to tickets to Twilight Town. "I heard that Namine has really fixed up her place, too." Yuffie piped up, and Aerith chuckled to herself for a moment, before swaying a little bit to the side. Yuffie saw her, and gasped, catching her just in time before she fell.

"Are you alright?" She said nervously, and Aerith nodded. "I'm fine. I just felt dizzy for a moment. I think I'll need that sleep on the train. You know, I didn't sleep at all last night." She commented, and Yuffie nodded.

"Yeah, I figured. Oh. Our train is here."

They boarded the train, and Yuffie looked out the window in anxiety as Aerith slept, with her head rested on Yuffie's shoulder. Yuffie was scared for Aerith. The woman never acted like this before, she had never been this fragile. Yuffie didn't really know what to do for her.

"We're here." She whispered, gently waking Aerith, who opened her eyes slowly, shielding them against the bright sunset in Twilight Town. They hopped off the train, and noticed that Xion was waiting for them. When Xion saw Aerith, she gaped a little, and ran over and slipped her arm around Aerith's waist, putting her other around her shoulder. "If she's feeling bad she can sleep on one of our beds." Xion offered, and Yuffie nodded. "What are your beds like?" she questioned, and Xion chuckled. "Oh, they're wonderful. It's like sleeping on a bit of heaven. They're some special kind of bed that Namine found out about a while ago. They were very expensive." She added, furrowing her eye brows. Yuffie sighed. "Lucky for you, you've got the money to spare, if I had as much money as you guys do, for just one day… wow…" Yuffie sighed in a dreamlike trance, and Xion laughed quietly. "I guess I'm just not used to being so pampered." She confessed. "I get nervous sometimes, that it will all go away."

"But it's pretty much set in stone, right?" Yuffie pointed out, and Xion shrugged. "Well, me and Namine are so mysterious, I just wonder if something from our pasts will reach out to grab us. It's stupid, I know, but…"

Yuffie stopped her, and nodded in understanding. "I know how you feel… sometimes I feel like I'm so mysterious, maybe even a little bit dangerous… it scares me sometimes… what I may be capable of…" Yuffie said dramatically, looking off into the distance gravely. Xion frowned, and thought that maybe Yuffie hadn't really understood what she was talking about, but she shrugged it off when they reached the house.

"Here we are!" She said happily, and rang the doorbell. There was the sound of running, and Pence opened the door.

"Hi!" he said brightly, and Xion smiled at him. "Is the food ready yet?" she asked, and Pence sighed, panting a tiny bit from running down the stairs to the front door. "Not quite yet." He said, as if it was a bit of a tragedy, but then his face brightened up a bit, and he led them inside to the front room. Yuffie gasped as she looked around. She had been to the old mansion a few times when it was dilapidated, and she used to play around it (and sneak inside) sometimes when she was a kid. It was a common hideout for the kids around, until the gate's lock actually worked and it was said that a ghost had been seen inside it. But now, it looked beautiful.

The walls were all a pearly white, and there were white flowers everywhere. There small pockets of color around, but the whiteness of the room brought more attention to the people inside it, and it all looked very clean and ethereal. Aerith obviously liked it, and went over to examine the walls. "Beautiful." She said to herself as she looked around, and then she noticed Namine emerging from the kitchen. "Dinner's ready!" She chirped, and Aerith suddenly felt like she wasn't hungry.

"Namine, I wish I could have some of your dinner, but I don't think I feel hungry right now." Aerith said airily, and Namine looked at her with a worried expression.

"You're very pale." She said in a concerned way. "Would you like to sleep for a while and then eat later?" she tried, and Aerith nodded. "That would be just wonderful."

Namine led Aerith up into the guest bedroom, and Aerith sunk into the bed, sighing with delight as she did. "This feels like heaven!" she cooed, plumping up a pillow and putting her head under it.

"Told you so" Xion sighed, and it seemed that Aerith had gone right to sleep. Yuffie sighed, and then went back over to Xion.

"I think that I'll eat, and then head back to the house and pack our bags, and then I'll come back. Would you mind if she stayed the night?" Yuffie asked, and Namine practically hugged her. She relished being such a help.

"She can stay as long as she likes!" Namine cried, and ran into her room to get something. "Here!" she said brightly as she came back in. "Just a little something that we all made for her. She deserves a little bit of help along the way while she's over there." Namine said breathlessly, and Yuffie looked at her with tears in her eyes. "Why are you so damn sweet?" she said gruffly, pulling Namine into a tight hug. Namine hugged her back, a little bit uncomfortably. "I… don't know?" Namine tried, and Xion pulled out of the hug, patting her on the shoulders. "Let's eat some grub!" She said brightly, and Namine smiled, leading her outside and into the dining room. The dining room was the same room that Namine used to draw in, and it made Namine very happy to see it filled with people.

She hugged Xion suddenly, and looked at her with a worried expression. "Did I do well?" she asked nervously, and Xion sighed, closing her eyes, and smiled. "Of course you did, Namine. You always do well." Namine stood for a minute, motionless, and then she hugged Xion again, and flew off into the kitchen. Xion sighed, and leaned against the wall.

"We all need to believe in ourselves a little bit more." She mumbled to herself, and then she went and joined the rest of the party.

…

Aerith sat outside the courtroom with Yuffie and Leon, nervously awaiting the time that the trial was supposed to start. She had requested permission to stay outside until it was her turn for questioning, because she did not want to have to be in the same room with Sephiroth for more time than necessary. Then, she saw Sora's dad come over with their attorney, and they shook hands. "You'll be in good hands with this man, you remember Mr. Wallace from questioning, don't you?"

"Hello!" Mr. Wallace said in a lively, confident tone, and Aerith felt a little bit better. "Yes, I remember." She said calmly, and Mr. Wallace looked at her seriously. "It's gonna get tough in there, and I don't want you backing down. You show those fiends what you've got! I know you're strong enough!" He tried to encourage, but it just made Aerith more nervous. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a tan man red rimmed sunglasses and a black suit looking over in her direction. When she tried to get a better look at him though, subtly putting her head down and looking at him more closely, she noticed that he was looking at Sora's father, as if watching him to see what he did next.

Then, she turned back around again, and it seemed as if her throat closed up on her, and she couldn't breathe. Leon emitted a low sound similar to a growl, and Yuffie sucked in a deep breath. Sephiroth had just come through the tall double doors leading into the building, with an uncharacteristically smug look on his face. Beside him walked an insidious looking man with dark rimmed yellow eyes and tan skin. He was speaking in a low voice with Sephiroth as they walked towards the courtroom, and when his eyes fell on Aerith, he smoothed out his bald head, and walked over to shake Sora's father's hand.

"Hello." He said in a gravelly, cold voice, and Sora's father responded with a curt hello.

"You are the head of the Investigation Bureau, am I correct?" He said coolly, and Sora's father nodded. The man smiled, bowing. "It is a pleasure to meet you sir." He said slowly, and Sora's father bowed deeply to him in return, before they stood back up and shook hands. "I am continuously impressed with your work, you will make this world a better place to inhabit." The older man said, and Sora's father smiled a little bit. "Thank you."

"What is it that you are doing here?" the older man asked in curiosity, and Sora's father stood up a little straighter, as if prepared to stand his ground. "I am here on behalf of Aerith. We don't want the courts to insult her by saying that she is a liar, and that the man who hurt her is innocent." He said curtly, and the older man smiled slightly. "I am afraid that I will have to disagree with that." He replied, looking coldly at Aerith, who folded her hands in front of her, as if shielding herself.

"Ah, I have no manners. I forgot to introduce myself. I am Master Xehanort." He put forth, and Sora's father nodded. "I know. You are a very widely known and respected man." He added, and Xehanort couldn't help but smile to himself. "That is flattering." He chuckled, looking over at Sephiroth for the slightest moment, before turning his attention back to who he was speaking with.

"Well, the trial is about to begin. Will you all be coming in?" he commented, and Sora's father pursed his lips. "Ms. Gainsborough would rather stay outside until she is called in." he said quickly, and Xehanort nodded to himself. "I see." He said in a low voice, and then he went inside with Sephiroth.

The tightness in Aerith's throat began to subside, and Sora's father patted her on the back. "Do you need someone to stay out here with you?" He asked, and Aerith shook her head. "I'll be alright." She breathed, and Sora's father nodded, and filed into the courtroom after a crowd of other people. Yuffie and Leon hugged Aerith, and Yuffie smiled at her again. "It'll be fine!" Yuffie breathed, and Aerith nodded, even though she couldn't be sure.

She breathed in and then out, deeply, and clenched and unclenched her fists, faster first, and then gradually slower, like she always did when she was nervous. It helped a little bit, but not enough. Then she remembered the present that Namine had given her.

It was a card, addressed to Aerith, with a picture inside it taken at the party they'd had two years ago, the one where Aerith announced that she and Zack were getting married. Everyone was in the picture, and they were all smiling, and inside the card, everyone had autographed it, and put little notes for encouragement. She read out every single person's notes, and tried to take them all in, then, lastly, she read Namine's.

'_Dear Aerith, _

_I know that things are looking cloudy right now, but I don't want you to worry. Instead of thinking of the bad that's going on right now, I would hope that you would look at this picture instead. This picture is the future. I want you to know that everything will be alright in the end, if you just have a little faith in yourself, and in the people that love you. And we all do! _

_Namine'_

After Namine's name, everyone had signed theirs beside, underneath, and around the note, and Aerith laughed a little bit to herself as she looked at all the signatures. Then, she heard a door open, and a police officer came out to her.

"We're ready for you." He said gruffly, and Aerith nodded, and went inside.

When she walked inside, and took an oath of honesty, she couldn't help but glance over at Yuffie and Leon, and her lawyer. Mr. Wallace was sweating a little bit, and he looked a little bit tired in comparison to his lively expression before. But that 'liveliness' could've been contrived. Then, she looked over at Yuffie, who had her head bent over, and Leon was looking out the window expressionlessly. Then, Mr. Wallace stood up, took a deep breath, and went over to her, smiling.

"Ms. Gainsborough, I'm going to ask you a little bit about the day you were raped, and a little bit about your previous involvement with Sephiroth."

Her attorney questioned her, and asked her to relate exactly what had happened, and the pain that she felt. Then he went into Sephiroth's character. Aerith could not help but feel Sephiroth's gaze on her back, and she forced herself not to look in his direction. Then, she sighed, and said everything that she could remember, trying not to falter on the parts that had made her cry before.

Her attorney took a deep breath, and smiled curtly. "That will be all." He said, and turned around to go back to his seat. Aerith took a deep breath out, but then she realized that that had not been the hard part.

When her attorney had taken his seat, a man sitting beside Sephiroth stood up. He was a small, skinny, cunning looking man, with long and pointed features. He sauntered over to the box where Aerith was sitting, and pointed to her lazily, turning around so that everyone could see what he was indicating to.

"What do you see when you look at this woman? She looks sweet enough, don't you think? She looks like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth. But is she really that good? Is anyone _really _that good? Or is she just a very good actress? A jealous woman getting revenge on an innocent man?" then he turned around to look at her, grinning lewdly. "Or just a whore?" he finished, and Aerith looked down at her hands, which were shaking badly.

"The day that she claimed to be raped, she was inside her home, as she said, waiting for her friend to come home. She had received many phone calls from the man who she said had once raped her before, but, as she put it" then the man chuckled a little bit, continuing "she didn't want to be a bother to her friends." He said with a hint of mockery in his words. "There were many witnesses to the 'assault.' Her current fiancé, who is going on trial for murder soon, her fellow female housemate, who is a notorious thief, and her other house mate, and man just a few years younger than her, who is not her sibling, living alongside her." He added, as if indicating something very obvious. Aerith wondered if she was just stupid, or if she was shielding herself subconsciously from his insults, because she did not quite understand what he was getting at.

"Let me tell you a little bit about this woman." He said grandly, and the jury seemed to be listening closely. "Let me tell you a little bit about her past."

…..

The courtroom doors opened and the crowd burst out of it, gossiping heavily amongst themselves as they went out, and a few were even chuckling, until only about 9 people were left in the courtroom. Among them were Aerith, Yuffie, Leon, Sora's father, and their attorney.

On the other side of the room, a man was shaking hands with Sephiroth, congratulating him. Sephiroth thanked him warmly, and Xehanort patted him on the back when the man went out the door, looking disdainfully at Aerith as he left the room. Mr. Wallace looked very irritated, and he patted Aerith's shoulder absentmindedly, not entirely knowing what else he could do. "I'm sorry." He said dully, and Aerith didn't even look up. Yuffie looked crushed. "I shouldn't have stolen all that stuff." She finally said, trying very hard not to cry. Leon sighed. "They would've figured something else out anyway. And you did it when you were a kid; it wasn't like you stole anything that was worth much." He added, trying to console her. Sora's father turned Mr. Wallace away from Aerith, Yuffie, and Leon, and looked gravely at him. "That jury was handpicked. I thought we were going to make sure that they chose half and we chose half." He growled, and Mr. Wallace nodded vigorously. "We did! And we reviewed the judge that they had picked! He seemed squeaky clean!"

"Who told you about him?" Sora's father snapped, and Mr. Wallace looked down at his feet. "Well, Master Xehanort did. The man he suggested was a trusted board member." Sora's father growled and Mr. Wallace looked like he was cowering back a little bit. "Whoa, back it down, sir. This wasn't the important trial, anyway. We agreed with him that if he picked the judge for this trial, we could pick the judge for Mr. Fair's trial!"

Sora's father looked over at him in disbelief, and fought within himself not to grab the man by the shirt front. "Who the hell do you think you are, saying that out loud?" Mr. Wallace shrugged, looking a little bit smug. "Think of it as a small favor. I hope I can help you again during Mr. Fair's trial." He added quietly, smiling a little bit. Sora's father looked at him coolly, and then sighed. "We will be using a different lawyer during the next trial." He said coldly, and Mr. Wallace suddenly didn't seem very accommodating.

"You will not win that trial without me!" he snarled, waggling his finger at Sora's father. "You have made the biggest mistake that you could have made!" Then, he narrowed his eyes at Sora's father, and stalked off. Sora's dad signaled to the two men in suits that had been stationed outside a while ago when Aerith was awaiting her turn to go inside, and the two men walked over quickly.

"Track his phone. See who he calls, and where he goes." Sora's father said quietly, and the two men nodded. "Here's his number" Sora's father mumbled, discreetly handing a piece of paper to the two of them, and they nodded, and walked back off, parting ways. Aerith noticed that the younger man with the black suit and the red rimmed sunglasses was still waiting by the door, and when he saw the two men who Sora's father had given the number to leave, he did too. Aerith thought it was curious, but she put it out of mind, and took out her picture again, holding it to her heart.

"Please." She said, looking at Namine's note once more. "Please let it be true."

…

Master Xehanort put his hand around Sephiroth's shoulder, chuckling to himself. Sephiroth glanced around him cautiously, and they prepared to go outside. "Are you ready for the paparazzi?" he joked, and Sephiroth couldn't help but grin a little bit. They opened the double doors leading out of the building, and suddenly, they were overtaken by a mass of reporters and newscasters.

"Sephiroth, what happened inside the court room?" they screamed out at him, and Xehanort squeezed the man's shoulder, indicating that he would be answering the questions. "The honest man won today." He said simply, and the reporters seemed to go crazy.

"Can you tell us what happened in the court?" They shouted. "Is it true that the woman was a prostitute who Sephiroth refused?" Sephiroth looked at Xehanort hopefully at this comment, but Xehanort chuckled. "She was not a paid prostitute. Ask our lawyer the specifics."

"Xehanort, why do you support Sephiroth in his sudden surge to power and good fortune?"

Xehanort smiled slyly, and looked around at everyone, clearing his throat. "If you all remember, Sephiroth was a bit of a fallen hero. I think a man wronged should have a chance to start anew. Especially one that I am confident will be a stellar asset to Shinra."

Just then, Sephiroth's lawyer trotted down the stairs towards them, and put his arms around their shoulders. "How about a picture?" he said, and dozens of cameras flashed at them. Then, the lawyer patted them on the back, and winked at them. "I'll take care of the rest of the questions."

"I am putting my faith in you." Xehanort said seriously, away from the crowd. "Don't mess up." He snarled, and the lawyer's face went a little paler, before he regained his suave attitude. "You know me, right? It'll be fine. Trust me." Xehanort looked back at him again, and the corners of his mouth turned up into a grin. "I don't." he said finally, and the lawyer snickered to himself, turning his attention back to the crowds.

"Mr. Silver, what words just passed between you and Master Xehanort?" one of the reporters chanced, and Xehanort's lawyer laughed. "Can't an old man say thank you in private without everyone wondering about it?" the whole crowd seemed to think that was funny, and laughed. Mr. Silver looked sly, but he had a smart tongue and a quick one too. The crowd easily thought he was genuine.

"How do you feel about the woman that accused Sephiroth, Mr. Silver?"

Mr. Silver sighed, and put on a serious face, looking back out at them all. "I feel… sorry for her." He said finally, pursing his lips and nodding to himself. "I feel sorry that she felt the need to take her anger out on this fine young man, and coerce a jail sentence on him that he nowhere near deserved." Mr. Silver chuckled then. "I mean, we've all done a few bad things, but just because a man dumps a woman doesn't mean he should be hung, drawn, and quartered for it, for god's sake!" Mr. Silver joked, and the crowd nodded again, some laughing, a few smiling. Then Mr. Silver got serious again. "I hope she can forgive us, though, for setting the man she seemed to hate so much free. And I hope that she can forgive him, too, for leaving her behind."

"Is it true that she has been single ever since she had split up with the accused man?"

Mr. Silver nodded. "Well, she has a fiancé, now." He said grandly, and the crowd of reporters scribbled things down in her notebook.

"Is it true that she was having an affair with a man living with her half her age?"

Mr. Silver snickered at this. "Four years younger. And I never said there was an _affair._" He corrected, and the reporters seemed disappointed. They were too busy talking to Mr. Silver, that they did not notice Aerith and her party being led out into a special car provided by Sora's father and drive off.

Master Xehanort chuckled as he looked back at Mr. Silver. Sephiroth suddenly lost his calm, collected look, and became angry again. "A little more exaggeration would have been nice." Sephiroth snapped, and Xehanort frowned. "The papers will take care of that, Sephiroth. Is this sufficient punishment for the woman?" Sephiroth ignored him, and huffed. "Why didn't you let me say something? I am capable of talking! I would've said a little bit more than you did." He added, mumbling a little bit. Xehanort narrowed his eyes at Sephiroth, and sighed. "The point is to make us look like the good guys, Sephiroth. And being overtly cruel is not going to help us reach that goal at all. Like I said, the papers will account for that. Be patient." He said slowly, and Sephiroth nodded. "Smile Sephiroth, a reporter's looking this way." He said suddenly, and Sephiroth's face became cautious and collected again, like that of an injured soldier.

"You constantly impress me, Sephiroth." Xehanort chuckled, and Sephiroth grinned a little bit.

"The Investigation Bureau will find out about the experimentation in Shinra, soon. They will be asking for a warrant to snoop around Shinra Mansion no doubt." He drawled, and Sephiroth's head snapped up, a little bit frightened. "There are files on Nibelheim in there." He said in fear, and Xehanort looked over at him in alert. "What?" he said suddenly, and Sephiroth, shrugged. "Nothing." He mumbled, and Xehanort gritted his teeth. "Is there something that you have refrained from telling me?" he snarled, and Sephiroth looked away seriously, refusing to answer.

"Because you do know that my _ambassador _is over there right now."

"The kid?" Sephiroth blurted out, and Xehanort stared at him, silently telling him to keep quiet. "I just wondered if he had a name." Sephiroth ventured, and Xehanort smiled. "Only I know that boy's name. He's too important to be figured out. He knows too much."

"You put a lot of trust in him." Sephiroth said suddenly, and Xehanort sighed.

"Don't you ever worry that that is a mistake?" Sephiroth asked, and Xehanort smiled again. "I have already accounted for that." He murmured, and Sephiroth remembered what he had said about Shinra mansion.

"What did you say the kid was doing over there?"

"He is picking up old files in there as we speak, and converting them onto a computer drive." He said quickly, looking around him with caution. Sephiroth suddenly smiled at Xehanort. "Is he going to burn the mansion?" he said in excitement, and Xehanort snorted.

"Of course he isn't going to burn the mansion down, Sephiroth. That would only fuel the fire of the Investigation Bureau's case- it would make it seem urgent! If they just went to the mansion, and didn't find anything, they would be stuck."

"Won't the kid leave evidence of him being there?" Sephiroth tried, and Xehanort chortled to himself.

"He has a gift for disappearing, and then reappearing. I don't ask exactly how he gets his information, I just tell him to get it and leave nothing of himself behind. And he has never disappointed me." Xehanort worded, making Sephiroth's curiosity grow even stronger. "But we will find out about your 'Nibelheim' when we return home." He added, and Sephiroth pursed his lips. It seemed that he could not keep any secrets with this man.

"Have the files at Shinra already been taken care of?" Sephiroth asked, and Xehanort shook his head.

"Not all of them. But the vital ones have been removed to a different location."

"And what is that location?" Sephiroth tried, and Xehanort chuckled, patting him on the shoulder. "Maybe later, Sephiroth." He drawled, and Sephiroth tried not to frown, because the reporters were taking pictures of their car as they stepped in, and drove away.

…

Axel sat at the kitchen table in his father's house, with a stack of papers in front of him. They were ages old files that he had kept from Organization Thirteen, but from what he read of them, he didn't really see anything that he thought would help him. He sighed to himself, rubbing his tired eyes. He had been up all day and night for the last two days, trying to scrap together something for his upcoming 'case'. He remembered what the woman had said to him in the police station.

"You will need a lawyer, and witnesses." The woman had drawled to him; and with each 'need' she described, Axel cringed. He had made so many enemies in Organization Thirteen that he doubted that any of them would help him out. But, Larxene _did _like him. But then again, she hated him, too. Demyx was Kairi's boyfriend, maybe he would help… but Axel doubted it.

He was supposed to have a lawyer by today, but that would be impossible, judging by his money situation, and their sorry amount of experience. Last time, he had a region lawyer, but he had called the city and the region, and they were reluctant to help him, too.

He heard a knock on his door, and he went over to open it, peeking through the window first, and then unlocking it, and opening it. It was Namine, and she seemed to be ecstatic. "I've found you a lawyer!" She squealed in delight, throwing her arms around Axel. Axel was puzzled. "What do you mean, Namine?" he said softly, and Namine looked up at him with bright, shining eyes.

"He's coming over from Pulse!" she giggled, and then thought for a moment.

"You know, Pulse seems to knock us all out of the water." She reasoned. "They have a _very _successful law academy, military academy- they have an art academy, too!" she chirped, and Axel smiled at her. "Did you get in?" He asked, and Namine giggled, and threw her arms out around her. "I got my acceptance letter today!" she squealed with delight. "It's terrifyingly expensive, but of course, I'll be able to pay for it. Xion _did _want to go to the military academy, but now _she's _thinking of law! Isn't it great?" She sighed, and went over to the window in the living room, looking out of it at Disney City. "You know, someday, I want to build an Academy like the one that used to be in the Land of Departure. I want it to target children who have nothing, too!" she said quietly. "And in the long run, it would be a dream to build colleges just as good as the ones in Pulse, but over here!"

Axel smiled at her, shaking his head when Namine looked back around at him. "What is it? Do you think it will never happen?" She said sadly, and Axel shrugged his shoulders. "I think you dream really big." He said simply. She smiled. "Maybe you dream too small. You're too cynical." She teased, and Axel laughed. "I'm a realist." He said bleakly, and Namine noticed the paperwork in front of him.

"Well, anyway." She sighed. "The lawyer is from Academia, below Cocoon, in Pulse, as I said before. He's a renowned lawyer, and has never lost a case in his life! Can you believe that?" she gushed, and Axel sighed, in disbelief. "That's great!" He breathed thinking about it. Namine hugged herself, she seemed to be so happy, and Axel looked up at her through his eyelashes, which made Namine blush. "Namine, you're like a dream come true!" he murmured, and Namine looked away, turning redder and redder. "Why are you being so nice to me?" he cried suddenly, and it made Namine jump a little bit. "No one else is!" he blurted out, and Namine laughed a little bit, going over and holding his face in her hands. "Because I like you, Axel, that's why! You're a friend." She finished, and Axel smiled, trying to kiss one of her fingers. Namine wanted to let him do it, but she crumbled, sliding her hands away from his face and folding them in front of her. "Right." She said suddenly, remembering Leon, and Axel sighed again, looking back down at his papers.

"Have you got any potential witnesses yet?" Namine chirped, and Axel shrugged. "Basically all of Organization Thirteen- except Xemnas, of course- are 'potential' witnesses. I told this guy in an antique shop about a bit of my past, I guess he can vouch for me." he added dumbly, and Namine raised an eyebrow.

"An antique store?" she checked, and Axel laughed a little bit. "I've basically got no one." He said suddenly, and Namine shook her head. "We can talk to Sora's dad! He would love to help you, I'm sure."

Axel frowned. "Sora's dad doesn't like me at all. I think he knows about my previous relationship with his son. He wouldn't help me." he stated bleakly, and Namine gaped at him.

"You went out with Sora?" she said dreamily. "I would have never guessed."

Axel put his hand on his forehead, and sighed. "Don't tell anyone else that. He wanted to keep it between us. Well, I wanted to keep it between us and he agreed."

"Why?" Namine said suddenly, and Axel shrugged. "This is gonna sound really bad, but I didn't want to antagonize Riku, not before I, well, got to _know _him better, you know?" he said sheepishly, and Namine rolled her eyes. "You cannot act like yourself in court." She sighed, and Axel shook his head.

"Too late. I was unapologetic last time, and if I'm gonna go down, I'll be unapologetic this time, too. I'm not gonna change my personality to suit the courts."

"Everyone else does that!" Namine snapped, and Axel stood up. "I'm not a liar!" he barked, and Namine chuckled. "I just have a gift for twisting words around- I meddle! I trick people- but I don't want to lie. And I'm not gonna lie this time." He stated finally, and Namine blew out a deep breath, shrugging. "Okay." She mumbled, and tried to brighten up again.

"You know Xemnas' court case is today. It seems that they've found 'new evidence'. It'll be on the news at 6 o'clock tonight if he gets out or not. You may still have a chance. They may still find him guilty." She tried, and Axel snickered. "Out at 6 and meeting me at 7 in the police office. They think they're gonna win." He sneered. "They are so damn smug."

Namine nodded her head sadly, and then remembered something. "You know Aerith had her case today." She said quietly, and Axel's face brightened up. "Oh yeah? She won?" he offered, and Namine shook her head. "Sephiroth is out. And he's the new head of Shinra." Axel slammed his fist on the table in front of him, and Namine cringed a little bit, as he stormed around the kitchen, breathing heavily.

"Well, if that shit slipped out of a case _that _tight, it's pretty definite who's gonna win Xemnas' case tonight."

Namine tried to wipe away tears, and pursed her lips. "You should see some of the papers in Midgar." She said savagely, and Axel frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Saying she's a prostitute and everything. They're ripping away her pride. No wonder women don't go to court over their rapes. They're stepped all over!" she barked, and a tear escaped from her eye, cascading down her cheek. Axel looked at her sadly, wondering how many times she'd cried by herself, and gotten up by herself when she was younger, and alone. He went over and hugged her, rubbing her shoulders. "Thanks for all your help, Namine. I'm really lucky to have a friend like you." He said, smiling, and Namine laughed quietly. "Thanks. You too."

Axel snorted at this. "I don't know what good of a friend _I _am, but okay. That's very flattering."

Namine shrugged, and looked down at the watch on her wrist. "Oh!" she chirped, and got her bag off of the chair. "I've got to go!" Then, after going out the door once, she poked her head back in. "Good luck, tonight! He should be there on time." She added, and went back out again. Axel went to the door, and waved after her, before shutting it again, and going back inside. He sighed, and noticed Lea sitting on the staircase, looking out at him.

"What do you want?" Axel said slowly, and Lea narrowed his eyes. "If you go to jail, will I live with Reno?" he questioned, and Axel rolled his eyes. "Yes. You will live with Reno. Or if Reno still doesn't want you to live with him, you live with an aunt or something."

"Mom was an only child, and dad's family is all practically dead or missing by now." Lea said sullenly, and Axel shrugged. "Then I guess it will have to be a distant cousin, if that's the case. Or worst case scenario, an orphanage." He added, and gleefully saw the fear in Lea's eyes. "It'll be Reno." Lea reasoned with himself. "It has to be Reno." Then, he smiled to himself, and ran back up the stairs. In a few minutes, he ran back down with his backpack. "Can I go to Isa's house after school ends today?" he asked, and Axel said sure, waving the boy off. Lea punched the air in victory, and then bounded out the door without saying goodbye. Axel sighed. Lea got an hour break every day for lunch, and the kids could go wherever they wanted to eat. So, Lea came home and tormented Axel in the time that he had.

In about a month or so, Lea's current school year would be finished. Roxas, Xion, Namine, Sora, and all the rest of the kids who were seniors would be finished with school in about a week. They got out of school earlier than the other grades so that they could prepare for college. It was this program called 'smart start' that they had been doing in school. Whoever signed up for the program got out of school earlier. So, naturally, everyone signed up. Axel tried to remember his high school years, and chuckled to himself. Basically, he had done practically nothing. He remembered that Demyx had dropped out of high school to become a 'rock star'- which miraculously, he had accomplished, along with Kairi, who had also dropped out. They were both living the high life right now. And what was Axel doing?

He looked down at the papers in front of himself and sighed. Going to jail.

…..

Axel went up the stairs and into the police station with Namine and the lawyer, a tall suave man of about 34. Axel stole a few sideways glances at the man as he mounted the steps. He was a very good looking man. Then, when they were inside, they rounded a corner into a small hallway, and went inside the interview room. Sitting at a table directly across from them were Xemnas, his lawyer, and Xemnas' father, Xehanort. Axel took a deep breath in, and sat down. He had met Xehanort before, when he first joined Xemnas' organization. The man still scared him a little bit.

Xehanort looked astonished when Axel's lawyer sat down, and Xemnas' own lawyer looked the slightest bit worried. "Hello." Axel's lawyer, Mr. Rusko said in a powerful, commanding voice, and Xemnas' lawyer, Mr. Silver, shook his hand, eyeing him cunningly, and smiled hugely. "It is my pleasure to meet such a _well renowned _lawyer, from _Academia's own _law academy! This is just astounding!" he gushed unctuously and Axel's lawyer looked chuffed. "Well, that is really too much." He said, not _really _meaning it, and Mr. Silver smiled at him again, rather slyly. Namine pursed her lips at him, and narrowed her eyes, as if studying him. Axel was surprised at how subtle she was.

"Who is this young lady?" Xehanort cut into the compliments, and everyone eyed Namine, who smiled valiantly, and did a little bow.

"She hired me for this fine young man!" Mr. Rusko said brightly, and Namine looked suddenly uncomfortable. Xehanort narrowed his eyes at her, smiling at her, as if in curiosity. "Did she really? How is it that one as _young _as yourself, acquires this much money to fling about?" he said cuttingly, but smiled warmly. Namine looked at him as bravely as she could, and smiled. "I guess I'm very lucky." She said, wondering if that was the right thing to say. Xehanort's smile grew, and he chuckled. "I suppose you are."

Then, he turned his attention back to Mr. Rusko. "Now, what must we discuss?"

…..

As Axel and Namine filed out of the interview room, Axel tapped Namine on the shoulder. "You were really looking those guys up and down." He chuckled, but Namine didn't seem to find it funny. "I don't trust them at all, not one bit. I wish our lawyer wasn't so quick to give out information." She added, and Axel laughed. "I didn't hear him say anything important."

"I didn't want him talking about me. I feel like he's become very confident in himself, and I'm afraid he may have developed a bit of an invincibility complex."

Axel chuckled again. "Now you're just being paranoid, Namine. He was just talking."

"Did you see the way he lapped up that slime ball lawyer's compliments? He's so used to getting them, that he can't even tell if they're fake or not!" She snapped, adding with a sigh "I just don't want him saying anything about me! This isn't about me, it's about you."

"They talked about me enough, Namine. My head hurts from the amount of talking that they did. Do you think he'll be a good lawyer, though?" Axel said, suddenly a tad bit nervous. Namine smiled to herself.

"He reminds me very much of Sora. Even though Sora has downfalls, among them being over confidence and believing the best in people, he always comes out on top when facing sly opponents. I think this man will do the same for you." She said happily, and Axel felt a little bit hopeful again.

As they talked together a little bit more, Xehanort growled, and Mr. Silver looked at him in deep worry. "I have to admit, I am a little bit… _hesitant_ of the outcome of this case, if they have got _that man _on their side." He said in a whisper, and Xehanort nodded. "It's the girl that is the problem." He snarled, tapping his cane on the ground. "She is the one supplying everyone with a financial helping hand." Xehanort went over to a young man, this time wearing a tan suit, with a black shirt and red tie underneath, still wearing a hat covering his hair, and red rimmed sunglasses covering his eyes. But they were different from his previous ones. Xehanort was careful to make it appear like a first encounter. "Hello!" he said brightly, and then the man smiled, coming closer to him. "Find out about that girl. We need her out of the picture." He hissed, and the young man grinned a little bit. "The lawyer seems like a treasure chest of information; I want you to squeeze something out of him. Don't ask too much, we just need a starting point."

The young man nodded, patting Xehanort on the shoulder, and transformed into a man that was confident, yet endearing. "No problem, sir." He said brightly, as if brimming with youth. "You take care now." Then, he sauntered off towards the lawyer, as Xehanort stopped to say hello to the other police men at the station.

"Hi." He said brightly, and Mr. Rusko looked down at him in curiosity. "I'm sorry." He said. "But I'm afraid I don't know you. Do you know me?"

"Oh, everyone knows you sir!" the young man gushed in excitement. "You're kind of my idol." He added, blushing a little bit. Mr. Rusko smiled with confidence, very taken with the boy. "Well, thank you young man. And who might you be?" he asked, and the young man smiled hugely. "I'm just a small time lawyer, I'm a newbie." He said, laughing a little bit, and Mr. Rusko smiled fondly.

"Well, that's alright. We all have to start somewhere. You look like a smart young man. I have a feeling you will be very successful."

"Thank you sir" the young man said, and then stole a not-so-subtle glance at Namine.

"You like her?" Mr. Rusko asked, and the young man shrugged. "She's very beautiful. I don't see why anyone _wouldn't _like her."

Mr. Rusko chuckled, and nodded in agreement. "Who is she?" the young man asked desperately, and Mr. Rusko sighed. "Young love, huh?

"Oh, I just want her name. It would be nice if I could talk to her." The young man sighed dreamily, and Mr. Rusko chuckled.

"Well, you gotta know a little bit about a girl before you talk to her. And actually, this is quite interesting. You know who Ansem is?" The young man nodded, smiling again. "Yeah, the great philosopher! Who wouldn't?"

Mr. Rusko smiled. "He was her guardian."

The young man gaped. "No!" he blurted out, and Mr. Rusko nodded with glee. "Yeah! He got her out of all that trouble with Organization Thirteen."

"She was involved with them?"

Mr. Rusko nodded grimly, looking off into the distance. "Yeah, I think that's how she knew Axel, from living with them. I'm guessing that he was the only one that was nice to her. It's sad."

The young man nodded. "Yeah, that is sad. A girl like her doesn't deserve to be treated badly." He said seriously, and Mr. Rusko smiled. "Her name is Namine." He added, as if setting the young man off after her.

"You better catch her before she leaves." He added, and the young man nodded, and then sucked in a breath, remembering something. "Oh! I forgot to get my bag; I'm going out for dinner with a friend soon. Maybe if I hurry I can catch her." Then, he dashed off back into one of the rooms in the back.

Mr. Rusko chuckled, and then went out after Namine and Axel, who had become a little bit brighter. "You two confident?" Mr. Rusko inquired, and Namine nodded vigorously, while Axel smiled. "We think we're gonna be okay." She said happily, and Mr. Rusko smiled. "Well, the next thing we've got to do is get together some witnesses." He said with determination, and Axel rolled his eyes, hoping that he wouldn't have to make the calls himself. Then, he had the sudden urge to look at his cell phone, and pursed his lips uneasily when he did.

"What's the matter, Axel?" Namine asked, and Axel shrugged. "Just a message from Ventus. It's probably nothing." He tried uncertainly, half hoping that it_ would_ be nothing. The boy wanted to meet him that night.

When they started to drive off, Mr. Rusko looked back at the police station, and remembered the young lawyer. '_Aw' _He thought to himself, a little sadly. '_I didn't even get the poor kid's name.' _ Within a day or two, the young man would've left Mr. Rusko's mind completely.

A few minutes later, Xehanort walked out of the police station with Xemnas, inhaling the unnaturally cold air outside. Then, his car drove up, and his chauffer got out, and opened the door for him and his son. When they got inside, Xehanort addressed the young man driving.

"Did you get anything?" he asked, and the young man smirked. "Yeah." He said coldly, and Xehanort smiled. "What did you get?" he inquired, and the young man cleared his throat, looking all around him. It was a precaution that had developed into a ritual for him. "The girl Namine worked for organization thirteen before she stayed with Ansem." He related. "I'm guessing that they adopted her from an orphanage nearby." He added, and Xehanort nodded. "You have a tendency to be right. Organization Thirteen was based in the City that Never Was, correct?"

The young man nodded. "There is an orphanage on the outskirts of town called the Orphanage That Never Was."

Xehanort chuckled in satisfaction, and Xemnas looked at the chauffer in wonder.

"Get as much as you can by tomorrow. Do not attract suspicion, and I want all the information you have to give as quickly as possible. We do not want that lawyer or that girl 'giving a helping hand' any more than they already have."

The chauffer nodded, and they made their way out from the gates of the police station, and commenced the journey home, where the chauffer, Xehanort's _ambassador, _would study the architecture and security system of the orphanage before he journeyed there to gather his information.

….

The Orphanage That Never Was stared out from a slowly encroaching jungle behind it that seemed to be slowly eating it. It was a sad, sorry piece of architecture that bent ever so slightly to the left, and could be reached by a large, shoddy dirt road that had been made when builders had assumed that it was too far out to require more concrete road.

It was raining when the young man came to it, ready with a small machine in his bag that was able to scan documents and upload them so they were ready to be put onto a computer. He also brought a de-bugger that confused auditory security systems. He felt a strangely ominous presence surrounding him, and his heart began to race. He was getting a headache, something that rarely ever happened to him.

The forest seemed to have an atmosphere, which affected him as if the jungle was a living, breathing thing that just watched, and encroached. He slipped into the orphanage as quickly as possible, and noticed that the front desk was empty. A family was talking with the owner and caretaker of the facility, and he could hear the older woman in charge speaking with excitement. People did not visit this orphanage very much.

The young man walked down the hallway quickly, relieved that there were no cameras in this place. They could not afford it. Then, he noticed a small room that had been left unlocked, with various sets of keys lining the walls. He wiped off the black gloves that were on his hands with a small cloth, and then he took out a tiny device from his bag, and located the key that dealt with files N through Z. He pushed the key into the device, and waited for a minute or two, extremely cautious of anyone coming in. He then unclipped the side of the device, it popped open, and he removed the key from it, leaving a small indentation in the shape of the key in the middle of the box. After that, he took a small vile of liquid out of his pocket, and after closing the device again, he poured it into the indentation made by the key, cleaned the set of keys, and put them back on their rack. Then, he exited the room, shaking the box vigorously as he walked down the hall.

He had already located the file room on a map of the place at Xehanort's home, and he knew how to get there now without any trouble. When he did, he went to the file cabinet marked N through Z, and opened the device he used for the key again. There was a casted key inside, made of an odd clear substance. He took it out of the box gently and carefully placed it inside the lock on the cabinet, turning it. He heard a click, and he took it out again slowly, and opened the cabinet. He found Namine's file, and read it to himself.

"_Last Name: N/A, First Name: Namine, Age: N/A, Place of Birth: N/A, Previous Orphanage: L'Acad__é__mie De Les Petite D__é__butantes, Reason for Departure: Ran away…" _

He read down to the bottom, and then something else caught his eye.

"_Adoptee: Marluxia… on behalf of Organization 13" _

The man scanned the documents, and then set them back in their file exactly the way he had taken them out. Then, he closed the cabinet again, and locked it gently. After he had locked it, he sprayed the inside of the lock with water, and any substance that had been left over from the caste of the key dissolved.

He slipped back out of the orphanage without anyone noticing him, and walked back into his city, maneuvered his way through a few side streets to where he had parked his car, and went over to it, sighing. There was the slightest crack in the window, and it was apparent that someone had tried to steal the vehicle. He had only been gone for around 10 minutes, and already someone had attempted to steal it.

He then drove through the city, and out of it, making his way towards Disney City, and namely Disney Castle, which had a section of computers with an excellent search database, and a comprehensive section of all the cases that had ever been brought to the castle's court. Marluxia would have had to bring Namine to the court in Disney Castle, because only Disney Castle dealt with adoption cases.

The young man was much more cautious of this place than where he had previously been, because Disney Castle boasted one of the best security systems in its region, besides the Investigation Bureau. He parked his car a long distance away, and began the walk up to the Castle. The library had a separate entrance, even though it was attached to the castle, and the young man climbed up the steps, and no one paid attention to him as he slipped into the library and over to the section dealing with adoptions. He skimmed over the names on the different files, until he came to Namine's, and was surprised to find two adoption cases in the file. One detailed Namine's first adoption when she was living in the Orphanage that Never Was, but there was a second one from two years ago, after Ansem had died. Marluxia had tried to adopt Namine again. On the 'reason for adoption' section, it said that she did not have sufficient funds to support herself.

He very discreetly scanned the files onto the device he had brought with him; being careful to position himself away from the security camera that was a good distance away from him, just to be safe. Then, he put the files back, and went over to the computer to do a little bio search on Marluxia.

He already knew that the man was smart- he had figured that out from the case that had sent the man to jail. The only reason he had not been successful in taking over the organization it seemed, was because Axel told on him. It was matter of over confidence, and over trust, on Marluxia's part.

When the young man was finished on the computer, he stood up, satisfied with what he had found out. He had found the location of where Marluxia lived now, and he decided that he would simply pay a visit now, and let Marluxia do the rest of the work. He printed the papers, hiding his scanner very subtly, carefully hacking the computer so it would not show his printing history or his search history. Then, he left. As he exited the library, and went down the steps, the tenseness in his body subsided, and he began relax. Then, he got into his car, and began to drive over to Destiny Islands.

He would leave the files on the man's doorstep and leave it from there.

**What are Marluxia's and Ventus' plans for Axel? Will Namine's perfect life be threatened? Keep reading!**


	6. Pursuit

**I am quite happy with the way the chapters are going, and I hope you continue to read, too! There is some intense yaoi in this chapter, if you don't like it you can skip over it. But please keep reading! It is getting exciting!**

Reno stepped out of the car that he had been driving for a few too many hours, and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, stretching his arms up. Then, as Lightning began to walk over to him, he quickly checked himself in the mirror, frowning. He didn't look too good.

After the arrest of Zack Fair, his division in Midgar had been going crazy trying to get stuff on Shinra. They had just been cleared to go check out Shinra Mansion in Nibelheim. Regardless of if they found anything worthwhile or not, they were going to be checking in on Shinra headquarters later on today to see if they could find anything else. They'd already been to Shinra once, and found a hoard of files belonging to Hojo on the various experiments he had performed over the years, and they thought that there would be much more at the mansion itself, where he had stayed for so long.

Ever since Lightning 'slipped' the information to Reno that he was being used because he was a former Shinra Turk, he had felt the need to prove himself. He and his team had been up almost every night since Zack Fair had been arrested, trying to connect it with Shinra in order to expose some of the organization's corruption. And the lack of sleep was showing on Reno's face. He took out a little bottle of face crème when he thought no one was looking, and smeared a little bit on.

"Are you ready to go inside?" he heard behind him, and he jumped up a little, hitting his head on the roof of his car. "Fugly piece of shit…" he growled to himself, massaging the sore spot on his head. When he turned around, he saw that it had been Lightning that had asked if he was ready. She looked impeccable, as usual, and even though _she _hadn't gotten any sleep either, she looked completely fine. "You look well." She said flatly, and Reno remembered that he hadn't rubbed in the crème enough on his face. "Thanks." He mumbled, and signaled for the rest of his team to follow him into the building. Kid looked thoroughly excited, and it seemed to take everything in him to not run in first. He wanted to buck the nickname.

"Go check Hojo's office." Reno drawled, and after putting on some gloves, Lightning started poking around odd places, knocking on the walls and stuff. "You're not doing the hollow thing, are you? This isn't a movie." Reno said to her, and she shooed him off, testing around various walls to see if they were hollow or not. Max came out from a door to the left, and Reno jumped a little in fright. Max was wearing a protective mask.

"You guys should really be wearing something over your faces." He said dully. "These walls have decades of radioactive particles in them."

"I don't think that masks will stop exposure." Reno commented, and Max shrugged. "Hey, better safe than sorry." Then, he rummaged through a small case on the floor nearby, and pulled out a few face masks for them. When Lightning was putting her mask on, Reno decided to wear one too, and snapped his on as quickly as he could to make it look like he had put his on first. Lightning rolled her eyes when she saw him do this, and started off looking around the walls again.

"Have you found anything, yet?" she said, and Max nodded. "You don't have to do that wall thing anymore. We've already located his office and we think we've got the wall separating the basement hallway from his laboratory."

"Are there higher concentrations of chemicals there?" Lightning asked, and Max nodded. "Insane amounts of Mako in the air. It's no wonder that Hojo was crazy as shit. He was inhaling all this stuff every day."

Kid furrowed his eyebrows. "Um, what is Mako again?" he asked, and Reno snorted.

"Kid, did you fail 8th grade science?"

"No. I just don't remember it."

"Oh yeah, that was the year you got bullied." Max offered, and Reno snickered. Kid blushed, looking away. "I never got bullied! Stop making stuff up!"

"It's a radioactive energy source. It's also called Lifestream, Kid."

Reno rolled his eyes. "Aw, Max. You don't believe in that crap, do you?"

Max frowned, and pointed a finger at Reno. "Hey, when you wake up with five legs tomorrow and I'm fine, let's see who's right."

"Having five legs doesn't justify a liquid substance being the afterlife."

Lightning seemed interested at this, and Reno explained. "Mako is this substance that Shinra developed. It's naturally occurring, but Shinra experimented on it and stuff and made it into this power product, and it's a major energy source for our region. It's environmentally 'unfriendly' though, and some believe that when people die, their souls go into the 'Lifestream'."

"Not some, Reno, a lot. I'm surprised that you don't 'believe'. You're pretty damn superstitious. Did Shinra put this idea of yours in your head?"

"Don't bring Shinra into this!" Reno snapped. "I've got enough to worry about, without thinking about that Lifestream stuff."

Kid looked up with horror. "So we could be inhaling dead bodies!" he choked, and Reno snorted.

"I didn't say they were dead bodies, Kid, I said they were people's souls." Max corrected, and Kid wailed.

"I could have some dead guy's soul in my throat right now!" Kid squeaked.

"A ghost in the lungs" Reno mocked dramatically, and then stopped himself. "Aren't those the words to a song?"

"I don't know." Max said, a little bit hurt, and then he got back onto the subject. "Anyway, as Reno was saying, Mako was developed into this high tech substance by Shinra, and Hojo used it to experiment on people, because exposure to the pure stuff causes genetic mutations, or enhancements, if it's done right."

"That's sick." Kid snarled, and Max chuckled. "No shit."

"Where is the highest concentration?" Lightning cut in, and Max pointed to a staircase leading down the stairs. Lighting looked over at him. "Did you break the wall down?" She asked in curiosity, and Max shook his head. "We have to be careful. We don't want to cause the whole house to fall down."

Lightning nodded, and started to search the walls again, and suddenly sucked in a breath. "There's a slot here for a card. This is it. It's a sliding door. It opens with a card instead of a lock. Feel for yourself." She added, and Max raised his eyebrows in admiration, going over and feeling it. "She's right." He said, and Lighting smiled, looking back around at Reno expectantly. "I don't know what to do." Reno said bleakly. "We don't have the card." Lightning looked smug when he said this, and sighed.

"At the Academy in Academia, they've developed a new 'lock picking' device that works for card slots. I think that within thirty minutes we can find the code."

"Thirty minutes?" Reno gasped, and Lightning narrowed her eyes at him. "What else do you suggest?" She snapped, and Reno shrugged. "Blow the wall in."

"And risk blowing the whole crime scene in, too?"

"We've already got him!"

Lightning raised an eyebrow. "We're looking for more than 'just him', aren't we?"

Reno pursed his lips, and shrugged. "Fine" He said. "Do the lock pick thing."

Lightning nodded, and smiled, retrieving the small lock picking device from a bag near the front door. Then, she brought it back, hooked it up, and let Max toggle with it for a moment. "It's pretty standard, to be honest. It's just like a regular lock pick except in card form." Lightning pursed her lips when Max said this, and Reno grinned. "So, it's not _really _anything special."

"Nothing has ever been made like this before!" Lightning snapped, and Max shrugged. "Well, I would say it's really just like everything else except in card form."

"Yes, you've established that." Lightning snapped, and suddenly, there was a click, and the door slid open. Max's mouth fell open, and he nodded in admiration. "But I will say; it's pretty damn quick."

Lightning seemed satisfied with this and looked over at Reno smugly. Reno rolled his eyes, and they heard Max gasp. "Holy shit." He breathed, and Reno, Lightning, and Kid all filed in behind him, with widened eyes. It was a huge feat of architecture, with vents and pipes spiraling over top, with tubes attached that emptied into large tanks, filled with stagnant fluids. There were tables and tables of odd contraptions and research papers, and there were refrigerators lining the back wall. Kid went over, and tapped one of the large tanks, and Lightning shouted for him to stop, freezing him in his tracks.

"Don't touch that! You might break it, and there's no telling what is in there." She added with disgust, trying not to look at the liquid inside the tank. "How long has it been since Hojo has been down here?" she asked, and Reno shrugged.

"If we do tests on the fluid we can figure out how old it is." Reno ventured, and Lightning nodded, thinking about something else. "Do we have any files on the people he experimented, or anything detailing a benefactor, something besides the obvious?"

Max shrugged. "We haven't really looked through the files yet. There's not as much as we thought there would be."

Lightning pulled her hair back with her hands, and then let it fall around her face again, perplexed. "I just feel like something is wrong here! How would a man so integral to Shinra just discard files that detailed his transactions with, for example, Rufus Shinra?"

"We found files on that, and it turns out the two weren't that connected to each other." Max said, and Lightning scowled. "He was more connected to the former President Shinra, Rufus's father." Max added.

"Then why did he stay with the company when he could have retired? Why was he still working for them?" she reasoned, and Max shrugged.

"Someone must have been in here. I can feel it."

Reno sighed, looking upward. "Well, no evidence of anyone being in here for _at least _a week has been found _at all. _Unless Hojo knew that we were on to him and had the stuff removed before then."

"Damn!" Lightning snarled, and Kid sighed dejectedly. Then, her head snapped up. "We need to get to Shinra headquarters." She said suddenly, and Reno frowned. "Why?"

Lightning turned around, grabbing Reno by the shoulders. "If there are any files, they're going to be over there. There must at least be a clue over there. And the faster we get there, the more chance we have of finding something." She said quickly, getting her bags together. "Max, Kid, come with us." She said suddenly, and Kid jumped up, eager to be of use. "Don't you want me to stay?" Max drawled and Lightning shook her head. "You're coming with us."

Reno touched her shoulder as they jogged out of the house, and she looked over at him inquiringly.

"Why did you pick them? Kid's too immature to handle something like this, and Max was quite happy staying here!"

Lightning chuckled at him as he said this, and looked back at him. "It's sad that your best teammates are staring you right in the face, and you can't even see them."

Reno pursed his lips, and they all jumped into one car, and brought the bare necessities that they would need for investigating a crime scene. "Best not to bring too many people over." She justified, and Reno breathed out, not liking where this was going. "We didn't make an appointment with Shinra!" he growled, and Lightning smirked. "Let's surprise them." She said, and they started to drive.

…..

Riku walked with a skip in his step, and ventured past Namine's mansion again in Twilight Town. He'd received a voicemail from Flora saying that Yen Sid had returned from Pulse, and was back home now.

Riku had just finished his first year of college in Destiny Islands, and was eager to begin his training for the Mark of Mastery Exam. He knew that it was a strange exam, and it didn't just test how academically or physically qualified one was for the job; it tested character, too. After the trouble with the Sanctum, Pulse seemed bent on educating people that would try to better the lives of their people, and not their selves. Riku _was _a little bit worried of the effect that his previous involvement with Maleficent would have on Yen Sid's decision, but he was determined to put it out of mind, and concentrate on training to his best ability.

He went back up the mangled, over grown path that led up to Yen Sid's tower, and breathed out slowly when he reached the door. Then, he knocked on it, and heard the echoes rising up through the tower again. He wondered if Yen Sid used that as his doorbell system. There was a sound of a latch undoing, and he saw Flora peep out the door, before smiling hugely, and letting Riku in.

"Lovely to see you, Riku!" she blathered, and Riku felt that she may have been a little bit over the edge. It made him wonder how Fauna was doing. "Is Fauna still sick?" He inquired, and Flora sighed heavily, nodding. "Yes, we don't quite know what's wrong with her, but we are determined to get to the bottom of this and get her in tip top shape!" she burst out, and then she covered her mouth, and said excuse me. "You know how to get over to Mr. Sid's study, don't you?" she said with a shaky voice, and she was turned away, so Riku could not see her face. He nodded, wondering if she was about to cry. "Yeah, I do. I'll be fine from here." He said, and Flora nodded to herself, and hurried off down the stairs.

Riku climbed up the stairs, wondering about what had just happened; he was excited to be spending the summer away from Sora. It would give him time to get past the overwhelming affection he felt for the boy, and it would give him some more discipline. He wondered if he should put on his macho, or just act normal, when the door creaked open before he could put his hand on the handle, and an enormous, strong jawed man stepped out, and smiled at him with a crooked, toothy grin. "Hello." He said, and his voice was mid pitch, and sing-songy, different than what Riku expected, and the boy frowned a little bit, not knowing what to think of the man. Then, the man let Riku in, and turned back to Yen Sid. "Well, if you ever have any information to hand out, you know where to deliver it." The man said brightly, and tapped his long, pointed nose with a menacing expression on his face. "All I need is a scent, and I'll get 'em got!" he chortled, and Yen Sid frowned at him.

"Perhaps I would be more inclined to give out information if you hadn't come alone. What exactly, is the purpose of you venturing out all by yourself?" he questioned gravely, and the huge man laughed to himself.

"I'm a lonely hunter" he said with relish, continuing "and who likes getting a trophy when they have to share it with a bunch of other guys?"

Yen Sid pursed his lips, looking out the window again. "This is not a case you can solve on your own, I guarantee you that."

The man shrugged. "Well, if I'm in over my head, I'll hand the ropes over to someone else." That seemed to be his form of a goodbye, and Yen Sid told Riku to wait in the study while he led the man out of the building. Riku waited patiently for a few minutes, and then he heard the doorknob turning, and Yen Sid walked back in, thoroughly annoyed.

"I cannot stand that police man!" he growled, and Riku scratched the back of his head. "What's the matter with him?" he said, and Yen Sid chuckled. "He wants information concerning Xemnas, and he asked about Sephiroth, too."

Riku frowned. "Why would you withhold that information?" he asked, and Yen Sid sighed "Because he is a stupid cop- and a crooked one, too. Getting criminals locked up is a sport for him, and he will nab as many people as he can to put another few notches on his belt. If left to his own devices, he will butcher the case."

"You mean; he's a bad guy?" Riku asked, and Yen Sid chuckled. "I wouldn't go _that _far. He's just out for himself. If left alone, he causes trouble. I will wait for a different investigator to come for information." He added, making the statement final. Riku sat down, waiting for something to happen, but Yen Sid just stood in silence, looking out the window. It had gone on for about 8 minutes, when Riku sighed audibly, nodding to himself, because he didn't know what else to do. Yen Sid looked at him ponderously, and then sat down at his desk, and seemed to stare Riku down. It was creeping the boy out a little bit, until finally, Yen Sid sighed. "I trust you." He stated, and Riku frowned. He didn't really know how to answer that. "Thanks." He tried, and Yen Sid stared at him again, fiercely. Then, he stood up.

"All these authorities coming around looking for me is making me tired. It reminds me of when the trouble with Master Eraqus and his academy began." He sighed, and then smiled sadly. "I was on the Advisory Board that helped make decisions for the region, along with Master Eraqus, Master Xehanort, Ansem, and King Mickey, despite how young he was at that time. It was odd for _mayors_ of towns to be on the board. It was considered a great honor to be put onto the board- only individuals who had made great contributions to the quality of life in the region and who wanted to continue to raise it up were given the much respected position."

"Eraqus had talked for a long time about the creation of an Academy that would help less fortunate students have a chance at a life filed with promise. At the time, I felt a foreboding creep over me, and I knew myself that it would only bring harm." He continued. "But I vouched for it anyway, and at first I was proud of my decision."

"And then Master Eraqus was ousted, and we decided that there had been dealings going on beneath us that we were unaware of, and we could not continue to believe that our region was morally better than all the others. So we contacted Sora's father." He looked out the window again as he said this, and Riku wondered why he was telling him all of this. "He was a gifted investigator, and we wanted him to create an organization aimed at stopping corruption and crime. When the board voted on the creation of the organization, Master Xehanort was one of three board members to put it down. He said that the region had no need for one." Yen Sid frowned at this, shaking his head.

"Ansem had always voiced his opinion on board members he did not care for in years before, and it was made apparent that he did not trust Master Xehanort. But, he seemed to look past that when he took Xehanort's son on as his apprentice." He added, mumbling the last sentence, which caught Riku's attention.

"You mean Xemnas was an apprentice of Ansem?" he gasped, and Yen Sid tried not to smile.

"No, Riku. Xehanort was an apprentice to Ansem."

Riku scratched his head in confusion. "Wait, Xehanort, like the Xehanort in that picture over there?" he said, pointing to the picture that was propped up against a wall, with the bottom of its frame on the floor. Yen Sid nodded and Riku sniggered.

"So you're saying that Xehanort is _Master Xehanort's _son?" Riku breathed, and Yen Sid nodded. "I thought it would be obvious." He responded dully, and Riku pursed his lips.

"But, I researched on Master Xehanort and it said loads of times that he only had one son, Xemnas." Riku tried, and Yen Sid chuckled darkly. "Well, he does now." He rumbled mysteriously, and Riku's mouth dropped open.

"Wait, you mean that Master Xehanort _disowned _his own son? Why would he do that?"

Yen Sid sighed like he was about to go into a long explanation, but then he stopped himself. "Oh, bugger it!" he thundered, and Riku cowered a little bit in his chair as Yen Sid shook his head. "This is the thing about confidential information. Once one gets started saying _something _about it, they can't stop until they've gone and said too much!" he growled, and Riku scratched the back of his head. "Well, if it's important, doesn't it need to be said?" Riku offered, and Yen Sid chuckled.

"_I_ am not the only one who knows about this, Riku. It is one of the secrets that the Investigation Bureau in the Land of Departure told me to keep well hidden. It connects too much to… hmph." He said, stopping himself just in time.

"Riku, why is it that you came over again?" he asked absentmindedly, and Riku tried not to gape. "I came over for my first training session!" he tried to say brightly, and Yen Sid stopped him with one look. "Don't lie, boy. You came over to get information out of me; I can tell by your voice that you are not sincere."

Riku sighed. "I didn't come for information. I came for training." He said more seriously, trying not to appear irritated. "I just thought that you would remember." He said sullenly, and Yen Sid nodded. "Ah. That was why you were doing that phony bright voice. You were dissatisfied with me." he thundered, and Riku put his hands up in front of him, shaking his head. "No, no, no, sir! I just… I apologize." He finally said, hoping that was right. Yen Sid shook his shoulders, as if he was trying to shake something off, and sighed. "I apologize also. I am getting irritated with all this attention, again. Everyone wants something from me." he growled, and Riku sighed.

"We don't have to do the training sessions if you don't want." Riku tried, and Yen Sid scoffed at him.

"Don't be ridiculous, you will come back tomorrow. And be prepared to work hard. You will need all the stamina that you can muster up!" he said in a low, menacing voice, and Riku nodded, puffing out his chest. He wanted to look like he was up for the challenge.

"Good. You may go." Yen Sid finished and Riku breathed out in dismay. "Bye, sir." He said, with the slightest hint of confusion in his voice. Then, he left the room.

As he was going down the stairs, he noticed a door was open into a small, dark bedroom, and Fauna was sitting on the bed, humming to herself aimlessly. Riku tried not to make any noise, but the floor boards creaked, and Fauna turned around, clutching her hands to her chest in fear. "Is he coming?" she said in a strangled voice, and Riku furrowed his eye brows in confusion. "What? I don't know who you're talking about."

"He sent him after me." she whispered, and Riku noticed that there were tears in her eyes. "Who sent who after you? I don't know who you are talking about." Riku said slowly, stepping into the room, and as soon as he did, Fauna backed away from the bed in fright. "I don't want anything to do with him anymore, I know he is my son, but he's not my responsibility anymore, not after what _he_ turned him into." She burst out in anger, and Riku tried not to chuckle. "Look, I don't know what you're talking about, but I have to go." He said, and started to back out of the room again. "You're Riku, aren't you?" she asked suddenly, and Riku nodded. It seemed as if she relaxed a little bit, and she laughed nervously. "Oh, that's alright then. As long as you're not _him." _

"Who?" Riku asked, and Fauna laughed like it was obvious. "Well, Ansem of course!" she said, and Riku felt a chill.

"Ansem?" he breathed, and suddenly, he felt a hand grab his shoulder. He jumped around with his fist ready in the air, and noticed that it was just Flora, who looked very angry with him. "What are you doing?" she snapped, running in and putting Fauna back in bed. Then, she hurried back out to Riku after shutting the door. "How could you scare her like that?"

"That woman's going crazy!" Riku said quickly, pointing to Fauna's room, and Flora put her hands on her forehead in agitation. "She's not going crazy! Everything that is happening is just affecting her badly! When it stops, she'll be better!" she sighed, and Riku frowned. "You mean all the stuff to do with the arrests?" then an idea popped into his head, and he said it without stopping himself. "All the stuff to do with Xehanort?" he added, and this comment made Flora freeze. "How do you know about her and Xehanort? Yen Sid would never say that!" she snapped, and Riku shook his head. "I don't know. I was just wondering."

Flora sighed, and nodded to herself, as if monitoring what she was going to say. "She watches the news. And with everything that's going on, it just reminds her of her past." She said, and then shut her mouth tight, obviously thinking that she had said too much.

"Past?" Riku asked, and Flora rushed him down the stairs, and shooed him out of the tower, trying to smile again. "Well, we'll see you in a few months?" she tried, and Riku shook his head. "Tomorrow." He corrected, and Flora looked a little perplexed. "Oh right, tomorrow then. Well, we look forward to it." She tried, and then shut the door briskly, leaving Riku gob smacked, with more questions than he had come with.

"Fuck." He thought to himself, and had the shivers again. He had a feeling that the cases of Axel and Zack were just the top of the iceberg. It was obvious that Fauna knew a great deal more about the situation than she looked like she would.

He wished that he could ask her questions. He wanted to know what was going on, and the curiosity he felt was keeping him from sleeping. Suddenly, he saw Sora trudge up the road, and his heart sank.

"Sora, what are you doing walking around here by yourself?" he questioned, and Sora smiled broadly. "Yen Sid called my dad and suggested that I study with him for the Mark of Mastery Exam!"

Riku gaped at Sora, and then sighed heavily, and Sora covered his mouth in surprise. "Don't tell me, Riku. You're doing it too?" he squealed, and before Riku could answer in the affirmative, Sora had jumped on top of him, hugging him in delight. "Awesome! We're gonna be together for the whole summer!" he shouted, and Riku tried to smile. "Yayyy" he said dully, but Sora didn't notice his lack of enthusiasm. "This is great! I'm going to talk to Yen Sid right now about lessons, but if you wait, I'll probably be out in just a little while!" he said, and dashed off towards the tower.

Riku seriously contemplated leaving him behind, but then he thought that was a little over the top and he couldn't be selfish. Sora was his best friend after all. Then he sighed, and smoothed back his hair.

Great. Now he had even more things to think about at night.

…..

Lightning parked the car a good distance away from the building that was Shinra Headquarters, suddenly appearing very angsty. A slight drizzle had begun to fall from the sky, and Reno shivered a little bit. "Will they know it's us?" Reno said in a strangled voice. The tower seemed to stare back down at him with an omniscient presence. He shivered again, and sighed deeply, noticing that Lightning was unnaturally excited.

Reno had heard about stuff like shell shock, when people went crazy from wars and their beings fragmented in different ways. He wondered if Lightning had been affected by the war that she had been in in Pulse, if it changed the way she thought. She certainly seemed to be loving the fact that she was in enemy territory. Maybe it was blood lust. Or maybe it was just the ever present notion that she had the chance to outshine him- in his own former territory. But for once, Reno didn't care one bit. He didn't want to be here at all- where people apparently only left by 'body bag.' He'd escaped once with zero repercussions, but now that he was on the offensive, what would they think of him? Would he ever see his family again? Would he ever see Lightning naked?

Reno frowned at that thought, not knowing where it had come from. He felt like his whole life was flashing before his very eyes. He hadn't made love to enough women. He hadn't eaten enough good food. Everything up to this point had been to reach one stupid goal that suddenly didn't seem to matter. Becoming top class, having a job that would bring him fortune, and boost his ego in his own and the public's eye. Have something to brag nonstop about to his useless brother. Wow Lea- the kid just ate it up when Reno talked about himself. Then he suddenly got the horrific thought that….that he had been very _selfish, _his entire life.

But Lightning's hand on his shoulder brought him back to the present. She had put on a pitying glance, but he could tell that underneath that soft pink, sympathetic face, it was all smugness. He could see it in her evil, crystal little glass eyes. Suddenly he hated her. But he couldn't help but notice that he had definitely fallen for her.

"Do you want to stay outside?" she said softly, pityingly. Reno grinded his teeth, translating it in his own mind.

'_Do you want to warm the bench for the big leagues?' _

He gnashed his teeth together, and shoved past her, tossing his head into the air. "Never." He said valiantly, and Lightning frowned behind him, following him up the steps gingerly. The part where he actually had to go _inside _was the real problem though. Reno found that his palms suddenly had a very wet, slightly disgusting feel to them, and when he tried to casually open the door, his hand slipped a little bit, and his face brushed ever so slightly against the glass of the door before he caught himself, trying to look inconspicuous. "Well." He said in a surprisingly, and depressingly, hoarse, high voice.

"Ladies first." He tried to say gruffly, and Lightning pursed her lips, shrugged, and walked in. After her went kid, and then Reno stopped Max, leaning in subtly to his ear. "Watch my back." He said almost inaudibly, and Max raised an eyebrow in response, but went behind Reno, looking around on all sides.

They went to the front desk, and the woman looked up at them, immediately giving Reno a steely smile.

"Back again?" she said cuttingly, and Reno chortled _very _oddly- it could've even passed off as a creepy giggle. He had tried to go for the suave, nonchalant effort, but that was obviously _not _working out. For maybe one of the first times in his life, he thought that perhaps the best thing to do was say as little as possible, and let everyone else do the talking.

Lightning returned the woman's metallic glance, leaning in to her. "We requested a meeting with Sephiroth." She said as if it was nothing, and Reno's eyes almost popped out of his head. Why the hell was she giving them away? "Wahhhh?" Max said dumbly, and Kid just stood with an innocent stare, pointed at Lightning. In essence, they all looked like absolute idiots. The secretary smirked, as if it confirmed something within herself. "Oh, we can arrange a meeting." She said grandly, and obviously, all her worries had left her, because she walked very unabashed, out from her desk, and turned back to them, working up a huge smile.

"Would you like a tour?" she gushed, and Lightning grinned, looking as egotistical as ever. "I think I'll be alright. But maybe Mr. Hurley would." She said, pointing to Max, he looked over at her in alarm.

"I would?" he said dully, and Lightning nodded. "It'll be good for you." She said, alluding extremely subtly to a thousand things that just seemed to click with Max, who nodded slyly for a moment, and then dulled up again, continuing the ignorance game. "Right." He said, and smiled at the secretary. "Shall we?" he said, and the secretary smiled back. "We shall." Then, they were off, making small conversation as they went. Then, Lightning turned to Reno.

"I want you to go have the meeting with Sephiroth." Lightning said suddenly, and Reno's eyes almost popped out of his head. "Alone?" he said in an audibly nervous tone, and Lightning put on a puzzled air, tapping her chin. "What happened to the valor Reno?" she said in a pouty voice, and Reno's blood boiled. "I'll meet you out front." He said harshly, and looked at her closely. "So what're you going to do?"

Lightning smiled at him smugly, and shrugged. "Tour." She said abruptly, and called for Kid to follow her. "Kid will come with me." she chirped, and Kid looked excited. "Yeah!" he blurted out and then almost skipped off after her as she made her way down the hall. Reno sighed, and sat down, chilled to the bone. Everything in this place looked so sterile. So sharp. So deadly. He wondered for a moment what improvements had been made to the security system since he left, and chuckled to himself. He was getting himself worked up again. He had to sigh heavily to keep himself calm, when a man in a black suit came out to greet him. Reno stood up, and held his hand out for the man to shake, but the man just stared at it blankly, and then looked back up at Reno as if in defiance. Reno didn't want a fight, so he just put his hand back in his pocket, looking off at the walls adorned with multiple honors that the company had received.

"Sephiroth will not be taking visitors today." The man said gruffly, and Reno tried not to roll his eyes. Of course Sephiroth would not be taking visitors. Reno sighed, and shrugged. "Then I guess I'll just have to sit tight right here until they all make their way back.

"No loitering." The man said harshly, and Reno got the message.

"Leaving now." He mumbled, putting a hand up in surrender, and the man followed him out, and tried to escort him to his car. "Hey, no one ever said that I couldn't have a little bit of coffee in this beautiful city while I hang tight?" he said in a slightly shaky voice, and the man smirked, and went back inside. Reno sat on the steps for a minute, and then went to try and find a coffee shop.

Back in Shinra headquarters, Lightning and Kid went hastily down the hallways, and Lightning was surprised by how well Kid could slink about without anyone taking notice. Lightning had been _trained _to do that type of thing, but it seemed to come by nature to Kid. It was probably because of his small stature. Lightning wondered how old he was, and was observing him, when Kid looked over his shoulder at her and blushed. "What are you looking at?" he ventured, and Lightning shrugged. "Nothing in particular." Then Lightning's breath left her, and she grabbed Kid's shoulder, pointing through a glass door in front of them.

Through the glass doors, they could see people working feverishly to export files out of various rooms, onto trollies, and then the hordes of manila folders were being whisked down the halls. Lightning wondered if they were going to be exterminated.

Kid naturally veered to the right, and Lightning trusted his instincts, and went in the same direction as he did. They just missed the camera positioned just inside the door, moving from side to side, taking in the large expanse of hallway.

"Damn." She said to herself, and Kid looked at her in worry. "What's the matter?" he said nervously, and Lightning shook her head. "It's just that we probably can't get through without an alarm going off, even if we do wait for a break. I bet it's a body heat alarm attached to the camera, by the looks of it." Then she thought about it. They probably all had IDs on protecting them from the alarm.

Kid brightened up. "I watched a special on that. They just held up a sheet and it blocked the heat waves, so the alarm didn't work." Lightning pursed her lips, and chuckled. "I think the camera's gonna notice if a big sheet walks down the hall, Kid."

"Shit." She said to herself, biting her finger nails. If they could just get one of those files, it had to have something they could use.

"It's now or never." She said in a hushed tone. "If we set off the alarm, we set it off. If the cameras record us, they record us. It doesn't matter anyway. We're still gonna lose everything if we don't at least try."

Kid nodded in excitement, and grinned feverishly. Then Lightning frowned, and gasped a little bit, out from one of the doors, came a man completely different from all the others. He was dressed in all black, except for a red tie, and red rimmed gloves and sunglasses. Then, she noticed that he was holding a Data Retriever. They used them all the time in Cocoon to transmit groups of files that needed to be kept together, in the same format, but were just too expansive to store in one device. Then she gasped.

All the files were in the electronic device under his arm.

Impulsively, she lashed out, and opened the door, walking very quickly down the hall, but the alarm did not go off. It was extremely odd to her that the young man in black went by completely unnoticed by all the other people, as if he evaporated like water. Within a second, he turned his head just a little bit, and went suddenly rigid, obviously surprised at his pursuers. Then, without a word, he turned back nonchalantly, and continued walking. To any normal passerby, this would seem like nothing, like he had not even noticed Lightning and Kid. But Lightning felt it. He'd seen them.

She bolted after him, walking as fast as she could without appearing conspicuous, and tried to gain on him. The way he was casually walking, he was close to an exit that he could disappear out of, and Lightning had to get to it before he disappeared. He turned a corner, and she ran silently after him, wondering why none of the alarms were going off. Then, she gave a sigh of disappointment.

In front of her stood a door that exited out of the building. She bolted over to it, and looked out, not surprised at the result. A bustling waste center stood in front of her, and she sucked in a deep breath. Thousands of files were being destroyed, burned in enormous fire pits that had been set up in the center of the space, and a high metal fence enclosed it. She would never be able to find the boy in black like this. And how would she get back through the hallways? She was almost certain that the boy had been wearing something that concealed him from the alarms.

Then, a man previously fixated on the task of burning the files began to walk towards the exit door that Lightning was standing inside. At the same moment, Lightning noticed the camera. It was slowly turning back towards her, painfully slowly but altogether too fast.

She wondered what would happen when the camera located her. She was sure that she would set off an alarm, and beside a room as vital as this, she doubted that they would believe her if she told them that she'd gone down the hall 'by accident.' Then again, they did have the idea that the team was a group of total idiots already. As the thoughts buzzed around in her head, the man from inside the room walked out, and his lips pursed together.

"What are you doing here?" he said in a high pitched, nervous voice, and just as he said this, the alarms went off. Lightning smiled awkwardly, and the man pulled out a small, walkie-talkie like device from his coat pocket. Then, he spoke into it calmly. "We've got a wanderer from the investigation bureau." He said dully, and within five minutes, five enormous men in black suits came forth and escorted her back into the lobby. She couldn't see Kid anywhere, and started to become slightly worried, when Max came out from one of the hallways, with the woman tagging along behind him.

"You all will be leaving now?" She asked, but it sounded more like a fact than a question. Lightning nodded, and her and Max got out of the building quickly. Lightning sighed, scratching her head. "If only we'd been more prepared. If I'd brought a de-bugger, we would have been fine." She complained, sighing. Max shrugged.

"Hey, at least we tried. Did you find anything?" he asked, and Lightning nodded. "Yeah, a makeshift furnace room they're using to destroy a boat load of files. Probably some of it is to do with Hojo and the rest of the company's list of benefactors." Then, they made their way back down to the car. "I wonder if we can get a warrant out of this." She said, sighing. She suddenly wished that she'd gotten a picture. She was very irritated now, with how much she had seemed to slip up. "I should have been more prepared for this." She sighed, and looked around in worry for Kid. Then, she saw him coming towards her from a small coffee shop down the road, along with Reno. Kid looked very worried, and his eyes darted back and forth nervously. Reno was seemingly uncaring.

"What's the matter?" Lightning ventured, and Kid shrugged, leading them back to the car. "We're in Shinra territory!" he said tightly, looking around in the same nervous way that he had done previously.

When they were in the car, and had begun to pull away from where they were parked, Kid subtly took out the file that was underneath his shirt. Lightning gasped, and then hesitated, trying to hold back her disappointment. There seemed to be a miniscule amount of data within the file folder, maybe 10 pages or less.

She sighed heavily without helping it, and Kid pouted. "I risked my life for that thing!" he cut in, folding his arms over his chest. "They were guarding those files like life depended on it! I thought I had struck gold for you!" he added, and then blushed a little bit. Lightning sighed, getting irritated. Kid was too sweet not to be friends with, it was just impossible. She had hoped that she wasn't going to get close to _any _of her partners on this case, but that was proving harder than she had expected.

She smiled at Kid, warmer than usual, and everyone, including Reno, looked surprised. Then, suddenly self-conscious, she reassumed her cold, military nature. "Well." She snapped, looking at the front of the file. "Let's see if this is worth anything to us."

Then, she took a deep breath, and opened it up.

…..

Sephiroth sat at a table in Xehanort's mansion out in the jungle on the outskirts of the City That Never was, sipping on some coffee. The 'ambassador' kid had just gotten back from Shinra headquarters, and he said that he had almost run into the former Turk and his posse of investigators. The kid and Master Xehanort talked in low, urgent voices, and Xehanort asked if they had gotten any information.

"Nothing worthwhile, I believe." The ambassador said, and Xehanort sighed. "They're smarter than I believed they were before. Especially that girl. Does she have any family?" he questioned, and the ambassador shook his head. "All dead." He said, and Xehanort growled. "We can't do anything to stop her?" he tried, and the ambassador shook his head slowly. "She seems to be a blank book, she has nothing on her that we can use to our advantage, I'm afraid." He said coldly, without emotion. It was as if this information didn't really faze him much, he was just relating it. Xehanort rubbed the back of his head at this, and sighed. "We will have to be extra careful, then. I want a complete cut off of ties with Hojo. Is there a way to get to him, and cut him off?" he added, and the ambassador shook his head again. "He is in a high security prison cell in the middle of the Investigation Bureau's headquarters."

"Dammit! I should have killed him while I still could!" Xehanort roared, thudding his cane on the ground. "From now on, we sever any ties that lead to us. And also" he added, whispering "do not let Sephiroth near him."

Sephiroth's ears tuned in to this, and he became curious. What did they not want him to know?

"I will speak to Sephiroth." Xehanort said, and he went out to the man with a grave look on his face. He slammed a file down in front of Sephiroth, and told him to open it. Sephiroth opened it slowly, and then sucked in a deep breath. It was the Nibelheim Incident. Xehanort took it back from him, and settled down into a chair across from Sephiroth, reading parts of it out loud.

"You were experimented on as a child by your father, Hojo, in a project titled 'Project S'?" he said calmly, and Sephiroth nodded. "And ten years ago, a year before Master Eraqus was ousted, you found out for the first time?" Sephiroth nodded again. He noticed Xehanort's eyes were filled with anger. "You went _back _to Shinra Mansion, found Hojo's laboratory, his files detailing the experiments, and _then _it all came back to you, all the horrid memories of your childhood, spent in a tank, or on an experimentation table for over 10 years?"

"Yes." Sephiroth hissed, and Xehanort sighed again. "Do you know why you regained your memories?" he asked, and Sephiroth nodded. "It's a type of hypnotic technique they used, it's very strong, and it uses a subtle trigger memory to set it off again." Xehanort grinned maliciously. "Which is what they used on Zack Fair, isn't it?" he said slowly, and Sephiroth became silent again, but nodded his head.

"They used it on Zack Fair, after you killed almost every person in the village, and he found you among the burning buildings, standing in the middle of it all. You murdered a whole village right in front of his very eyes!" Xehanort snarled, his face contorting with rage. Sephiroth became uncomfortable, but nodded again, mechanically.

"And now, he is in a high security jail cell, being questioned by investigators in the Investigation Bureau for the murder of Rufus Shinra. How much do they know about Shinra? What if they have found files on the Nibelheim incident that Shinra covered up for you? What if Zack Fair suddenly remembers? Shinra would be torn apart!" he roared, slamming his fist on the table in front of him. "And that would lead to me." he added, pursing his lips.

Sephiroth sighed, thinking that the 'meeting' they'd just had had gone better than he expected. At least he wasn't thrown into the other wall again. Then he heard Xehanort sigh. "And I also know about President Shinra." He added, and Sephiroth cringed.

"Why did you kill him?" Xehanort asked in curiosity, and Sephiroth shrugged. "I don't know. He made me angry." He said, and Xehanort smiled callously. "He was a friend, you know." He pointed out, and Sephiroth looked away. Then, Xehanort chortled. "But, I suppose at times we must forgive."

Sephiroth looked up, sighing in relief, and noticed Xehanort's serious expression. "I got you out of jail because you interested me. I thought that I could collaborate with you. But the effects of your anger are catastrophic." He growled, and Sephiroth pursed his lips, waiting for the man to continue. "You must trust me. You must do as I say without a second thought. You must not hide anything from me. And more importantly" he added "you must make no more mistakes."

Sephiroth looked down at his hands, feeling very ill about the idea of being under the control of Xehanort. But, he acquiesced, shrugging. "As long as I get what I want, I will do as you ask." He said, and Xehanort chuckled. "You will get what you want, Sephiroth. Mark that. You will get what you want."

…

When Axel got home, he took a deep breath out, and saw Ventus sitting on his doorstep, reading a magazine.

"I got your mail." The boy said sweetly, and Axel suddenly felt uncomfortable, taking the stack of papers gingerly as Ventus handed them to him. "Thanks." He mumbled, and Ventus smiled. "Don't mention it."

Axel opened the door, and he felt Ventus put his hand on his lower back, and lean in closer to him as they went inside. Axel maneuvered his way around Ventus, and shut the door, turning back to the boy and gently pushing him away. Ventus shrugged, and went and sat on the couch, sprawling himself out.

"How's the case going, Axel?" he asked, and Axel took a deep breath out. "Really well, actually." He said. "Namine got me a great lawyer, I may have a chance."

Ventus looked over at him lazily, and smiled. "That's good." He offered, and Axel smiled in discomfort. "Axel?" he asked suddenly, and Axel looked up at him, waiting for him to go on. "You remember the last time we did it?" Ventus said quietly, and Axel nodded. "You were mean." Ventus said, pouting. Axel began to feel the need to defend himself again, and he didn't like the way the conversation seemed to go. "Yeah, and? You weren't so nice yourself."

Ventus smiled at this, and looked straight at him. "You know, the way your trial is going, you need all the help you can get. It seems as if everything is perfectly balanced right now, and the tiniest thing, could send your whole world crashing to pieces." He said gently, opening his hand as if there was something in it, dropping. Axel winced, and hugged himself a little bit. In the back of his mind, he had an idea where this was heading.

"For example" Ventus continued, smiling serenely. "I could complain about you. I could say that you hurt me. People would believe me."

"You're going to accuse me of rape?" Axel snarled, and Ventus shrugged, and his expression suddenly became dark. "I was so mad after what you did. And when the authorities took you away, I seriously contemplated just going to the police and telling them. I knew it would kill your case. But I didn't. Because I only wanted one thing from you before, and I still want it now." He said, and looked up at Axel with an impenetrable glance.

"What do you want, Ventus?" Axel said begrudgingly, and Ventus smirked. "I want you to do me like you would Roxas. That's all I want."

Axel shook his head. "I can't do that! I can't lie to myself like that." He said gruffly, and Ventus looked at him with narrowed eyes. "You can either do it with me, or with some jailbird you happen to bunk with if you get locked up. Which one would you rather take on?" he cooed, sitting back on the couch and looking at Axel erotically. Axel sighed, and shrugged. It couldn't be _too _hard.

"What do you want to do, Ven?" he tried, smiling. Ven grinned widely, and giggled a little bit. "I want to do it. Properly. On this couch. Right now." He said slowly and cuttingly, and Axel sucked in a deep breath. "Lea might be coming home. I don't want him to see us." Axel said, and Ventus frowned at him. "Then tell him not to come home tonight. He can stay with that friend of his, can't he?"

Axel hesitated for a moment, and then nodded, picking up his phone, and called Lea.

"Hey!" Lea said across the phone, and Axel rubbed his eyes. "Hey, Lea? Do you want to stay at Isa's house tonight?"

"No, not really. I was planning on coming home. Why?"

Axel sighed. "Maybe it would be good if you could stay with him tonight." He said, and there was silence across the phone. Then, Lea hung up. Axel sighed, and forced himself not to throw the phone down. If there was one thing that he hated above all else, it was being forced into a corner.

"What did he say?" Ventus asked uncaringly, and Axel shrugged. "Nothing. He was disappointed though."

"You can't help it with people like that." Ventus said. Then he sighed in irritation. "Do I have to tell you to come over, or can you figure that out yourself?" he snapped, and Axel clenched his fists, but put on a smile. "No." he said, crawling over Ventus' body, and kissing his chest. "You better deliver this time." Ventus whispered, and Axel bit his lip, keeping himself from saying anything.

He tried to force himself not to think, and just kept on kissing the boy in front of him. Ventus looked up at the ceiling as Axel did this, as if mulling things over in his mind. "I woke up in the middle of the night last night, sweating, I was panicking. I guess I must have had a nightmare." He said softly, and Axel moved his lips up to Ventus' neck, contemplating giving the boy hickeys on purpose. Or would he show it off like it was a trophy?

"Then, I turned around, and I saw Roxas. He was sleeping like a baby- literally. He looked so small and innocent for some reason, so sweet…" he went on, and then giggled. "It tickles, the way you kiss my neck. I can feel the pressure of your lips on my voice box. It's weird." He sighed, and then continued softly. "I couldn't help but touch him. And I swear, the minute I put my fingers on his face, he shivered. And then he sighed." He added, watching every reaction on Axel's face. Axel was kissing Ventus harder now, almost savagely, trying to ignore what the boy was saying.

Ventus closed his eyes, and his cheeks were getting red, his forehead had tiny beads of sweat on it. "I stroked his face. And then, Axel…" Ventus couldn't help but grin at this part, looking Axel straight in the eyes. "…I kissed him. I couldn't stop myself."

Axel dug his fingernails into Ventus' arms, and heard the boy take in a sharp breath at the sudden pain in his arms. Axel didn't care. He knew that the boy was trying to make him angry. Axel tore the boy's pants off, pushing his shirt up to his arm pits. He began to play with Ventus' nipples, licking them, and it seemed as if he was daring Ventus to go any further. The boy giggled again, more wildly than before, and then he seemed to regain his composure.

"I kissed him once, and then I knew I could get away with it. He hadn't even flinched. So I kissed him, and I reached my hands up under his shirt, and I pressed my fingers around his nipple, and I rubbed it, and he sighed in his sleep." Axel bit down on Ventus' nipple when he said this, and Ventus moaned in delight, but continued anyway. "I traced circles around his belly button, it looks so cute, Axel, and then, I was about to stop- but he moaned!" he hissed with relish, and Axel nuzzled his nose into Ventus' belly, trying to bottle up the rage that was building up inside him. He shoved his hand down Ventus' pants, and began to rub in between his thighs, making Ventus breathe harder.

"And I stroked him, Axel. And I kissed him again. He came, you know. It was the best thing I'd ever done. And then I held him. I could feel his breathing on my chest, and his heartbeat."

Axel rubbed Ventus faster and faster, so angry he could hardly stand it anymore. He wanted this to be over, he wanted Ventus to go out of his life, and never come back.

"But that's our secret, right, Axel?" Ventus breathed, and Axel gritted his teeth. "Because you messed up. And now I can do whatever I want. To whoever I want. And you can't say a word." He added with glee, anticipating and expecting Axel to go over the edge. Which he did.

Something snapped in Axel, and he undid his pants quickly, and shoved his finger up inside Ventus, and the boy cried out. He moved it around a little bit, and as he did that, Ventus pushed Axel's underwear down his thighs, inching closer to him. Axel was disgusted and angry, but he didn't care what he did anymore. He pushed himself inside Ventus, and the boy moaned in pleasure, clutching onto Axel's back desperately in excitement. Then, Axel thrust in and out, faster and harder each time, stroking Ventus' member as he did.

At first, Ventus moaned, and then he began to pant, and with each thrust, he screamed out Axel's name, and tears ran down his cheeks as he cried out. Axel felt himself reaching closer and closer to climax, and he could feel it in Ventus, too, the way he became more desperate, the way his back arched slightly, and he looked up at Axel frantically, and moved his hands around his back, trying to find something to hold onto. "A- Axel!" he wailed, and suddenly sucked in a deep breath, grabbing Axel's ass. Axel moaned, and then, they both came, and Ventus fell back onto the couch, breathing raggedly. Axel pulled out, and sat back on the couch, taking in the situation for a moment.

Ventus had turned his head, wiping the tears away, and then turned back, looking Axel straight in the eye. Axel could only meet his glance for a second, before he turned away. He was, for some reason, ashamed at himself for taking out his anger on this young boy like that.

"I'm sorry." Axel mumbled absentmindedly, still looking away. "I probably made you bleed."

Ventus shrugged. "Whatever." Then, he sat back, spreading his legs out again for Axel to see. Axel's eyes trailed to his stomach, where he had come, and he looked at his own belly, which had some on it, too.

"Do you want me to lick it off?" Ventus tried, and Axel shook his head. "You don't have to do that." he said hollowly, and Ventus stared him down for a moment, before flitting off to the bathroom to clean himself off.

Axel looked down at his hands, gulping a little bit, like something was threatening to come up from inside him. He didn't know if it was literal stuff- like his lunch, or just emotions. He was so tired of this already.

He looked around him, and shivered, hugging himself. He was so angry with Ventus, playing him like that. He seemed to know all of Axel's weak points. Axel wondered if he had actually done those things to Roxas, or if he had just been making them up to mess with Axel. Axel pursed his lips, and took a deep breath, heading over to the bathroom, because he heard Ventus calling him.

"Wanna take a shower together?" Ventus said sweetly, but Axel knew that it wasn't meant to be a question. He acquiesced, and Ventus scowled at him. "Try to look a little more enthusiastic, would you?" he snarled, and Axel put on a big smile, kissing Ventus on the forehead and trying to hide his bitterness.

Ventus patted him on the head like he was a puppy dog. "I love you Axel." He said in a strangled voice, begging for a response.

Axel didn't answer.

….

Marluxia clicked the mouse, and the computer sent him to a website for "L'Académie Pour Les Petite Débutantes." He snickered as he read through their mission statement, which consisted mostly of disgustingly flowery language, and the very shallowly shaped out message that was veering towards making women presentable for male society. The world was really making its way.

It was situated in Eden, the old capital of Cocoon, and the recent pictures of it seemed to show that it had not changed very much in the century after which it was created. He chuckled, shaking his head, then, he found a phone number, and got his phone out of his pocket, clearing his throat in order to call it. There was some static, and then a reception lady was on the other line.

"Hello?" she said brightly, and Marluxia smiled. "Can I speak with the headmistress of the facility? It is very important. It is about a former inhabitant of the orphanage who ran away."

"Academy." The woman corrected harshly, and Marluxia couldn't help but chuckle.

"Of course, my mistake."

"We'll put you onto her in one moment. Please wait, thank you."

Marluxia took a deep breath, and waited for the headmistress to come onto the line, tapping his fingers on the kitchen table in front of him as he waited. Then, she spoke.

"Hello?" said a medium pitch, commanding voice from across the lines. She sounded like she was in her early sixties, but she was still a very powerful woman.

"I would like to speak to you about a certain inhabitant that used to study at your facility." Marluxia drawled, and the woman breathed out audibly.

"And?" she said eloquently, and Marluxia smiled.

"Do you remember a young girl named Namine?"

There was silence, and then a chortle.

"Yes, I remember the girl." The woman sneered, and Marluxia felt like luck was on his side.

"Well, I was wondering if you know her age."

"Well, I think we can rustle up files from her medical examination."

"The thing is, I tried to adopt her a while ago- you know the poor girl cannot function on her own- and her estimated age was 16- the legal age where a child is allowed to provide for themselves, and live on their own- and she provided proof that she could look after herself. But then again, no one knows her age." Marluxia explained, and there was cold silence across the line.

"And?" the woman coaxed, and Marluxia continued.

"She could be a mere child, technically. She would have broken the law. She has already broken the law by letting another young woman stay with her, and who's to say that she is really 17? She needs a responsible adult guiding her in the right direction." He said suavely, and again, there was silence. Then, the woman coughed.

"Sir, do you believe in just punishments?" she said slowly, and Marluxia smiled.

"Of course."

"I think that the girl you are speaking of has caused enough trouble in her life. For you and for everyone else she has encountered, including me." she added coldly, as if a memory had made itself clear. "I will help you if you treat her like she deserves to be treated." She finished, and Marluxia tried not to snicker. The fact that she hadn't forgotten this revealed a very important part of her nature.

"I will provide her just what she deserves. An education." Marluxia said, whispering the last part, mostly to himself.

"Well, that is wonderful." She said grandly, and he could hear her scribbling things down. "I will send you a few papers, and if you need a reference, well, you know how to contact me."

"Thank you ma'am, graciously." Marluxia said, and the woman chuckled. "Thank you."

Marluxia hung up the phone, and sat back in his seat, grinning. Things always seemed to turn his way in the end.

…..

**What will happen to Namine, and to Axel? Will Marluxia still pursue Axel now that he's got Namine to go after? What about Ventus? And Reno and Lightning? Will they get to the bottom of the case, or will they be evaded again? Find out and keep reading!**


	7. Negotiations

**Very intense chapter, there is rape in it. But, I think that it's relatively easy to see it coming, if you'd rather skip it. **

Namine walked into the bank in Twilight Town, sighing. She had a bad feeling that she had misplaced her card, but then, she found that her doubts had been unfounded, and she breathed a sigh of relief, retrieving it from her purse. Slowly, she mounted the steps, taking in the scent of the summer air around her. There were four days of school left for her, and she was relishing finishing off the school year with such a bang. She had gotten into the new art college in Cocoon, and she had signed off on all of her papers, making her a future student. Xion had signed her college papers, too, and had gotten accepted. They'd have to leave the mansion in a few months in order to start their new year of school. Namine sighed. Life seemed to be a dream now, everything was so wonderful. She finally felt like she didn't need to depend on anyone- she didn't need to force herself to put her trust in anyone anymore. Everything had worked out, in the end, despite everything. Despite everything that had happened in the past….

Namine snapped out of it, and went up to the counter. She smiled at the clerk, and asked to take 10,000 munny out of her account.

"How are you doing, Namine?" the clerk, a young girl of about 25, chirped.

"I'm doing just fine." Namine sighed with relish. "How are you?" she added, and the girl sighed, moving her dark fingers through her black hair, and looking up with amber eyes. "I'm fine. I'm thinking of going back to school, you know."

"Do you know what you want to do?" Namine asked in curiosity, and the woman shrugged. "I don't know. My parents wanted me to be an accountant, and now I'm just a simple clerk. Which is _important, _I suppose. But… I guess it doesn't really matter anymore, does it?" She said quickly, trying to pull up Namine's account. "I heard that you got into a really nice arts school. Congratulations!" She bubbled, and Namine couldn't help but feel a little bit more confident at this. "I'm really excited" Namine said quietly, looking down. "I think my life's gonna change a lot."

Then, suddenly, there was a beeping sound, and the clerk frowned a little bit. "Huh. This is weird; it says your account's been frozen. I don't know why _that _would happen, though, it doesn't seem like you've done anything wrong…" Then, she clamped her mouth shut, and looked closer at the screen. "Oh wow…" she said in wonder, and then looked at Namine suspiciously. Namine shifted from one foot to the other, waiting for an answer. "Well? What's the matter?" she said shyly, and the girl shrugged. "You must have done something weird to bring this on. I don't know what's happening. I'm really sorry. I can't give you anything." She said bluntly, and Namine went completely cold. What on earth could be wrong?

"Okay." Namine said blankly, and glided out of the bank in a haze. What was going on? Had something happened? She hadn't done anything wrong. Then she froze for a minute, sucking in a deep breath. Could it be? It couldn't be _that- _could it? Then, she forced herself to calm down. No. It definitely wasn't _anything _to do with _that. _It had happened over 5 years ago, but was that really a long time, in the grand scope of things?

She shakily made it back to the mansion, and stood in horror as she examined the area. Two cop cars stood parked outside her house, and a normal car was positioned close by. Namine walked swiftly up the front steps, to the door, which was unlocked.

When she went inside, she heard a high pitched voice, angry no doubt, but also a little bit scared. Xion- and who else? Namine walked slowly towards the door to the dining room- what used to be her old room when she had lived with Ansem. She saw the two cops, a man in a suit, and then she stood, in shock. And then dread crept over her, threatening to envelope her and send her to the floor.

She slumped over, and Xion let out a gasp, and started to run over, but the man that Namine had seen last was too fast.

"I'll get her." He said in a soft voice, and picked Namine up gently, cradling her like a doll. When she finally opened her eyes, she whimpered a little bit, looking around to see if this was really happening. It seemed like the brief dream she'd been living in these past two years was gone- and she suddenly hated herself for not enjoying it enough. She'd always thought towards the future- when she should have been preoccupied with the days before her. All the things she said she would do- were in jeopardy now.

Marluxia let his hair fall down, covering the left side of his face that was towards the others in the room, and smiled down at Namine. "There's no need to worry, Namine. I've got you now." He said sweetly, but it affected Namine like acid, and she winced as if she was in pain.

"Do you want us to go over the specifics with her?" The man in the suit said, Namine assumed he was a lawyer. Marluxia nodded, bringing Namine over to the table, and sitting her down. "Yes, I think that would be best." He said, and Namine looked out the window.

The breeze blew the trees quietly, swaying them back and forth playfully. Everything seemed calm and happy outside. But inside these walls, Namine felt as if she was threatening to explode, or worse, fall apart.

…

Reno looked over the files, dully flicking through the limited amount of pages. It was security documents. For the old security system in Shinra- that had since been changed. And a bunch of codes. Codes that Reno didn't understand, and didn't even care to understand. Lightning sat beside him, hunched over, thinking hard, trying to decipher the words. Suddenly, she snapped up, as if she'd had a brilliant idea.

"Rabbit!" She said suddenly, holding up her pencil in the air. Reno looked at her in confusion, not bothering to hide his irritation. "And what in the hell is that supposed to mean?" he growled, and Lightning furrowed her eyebrows. "You know, the code they used for the reactors- it was the shark. There were only five animals that they seemed to use for symbols in…. one was the snake and the dragon, too, for power, and for the Wutai Wars, and then… there were others, but I distinctively remember there being a rabbit." She finished, and Reno just looked at her.

"Oh… so out of the shark, the snake, the dragon- and the _rabbit- _the rabbit's the ticket?" Reno gushed sarcastically, and Lightning frowned.

"I'm just trying to help." She said quietly, putting her head down again and chewing on her pencil. Reno sighed, rubbing his eyes and his forehead, and then stretching. They had been up almost the whole night, and he was exhausted. Kid and Max had gone home already. Kid was so disappointed that the file he'd found seemed to have nothing, that he couldn't work properly, and sat moping around, fiddling on the computer. Max had gone through two packs of cigarettes in just two hours, so they told him to leave too. Reno sighed. "I know. I'm sorry."

Lightning couldn't help but smile a little at Reno's humble apology. "It's okay." She said, and then her expression became puzzled. "Look, there's a diagram on this." She commented, pointing to a picture on one of the pages. It seemed misplaced from the rest of them.

On it was a picture of a hand, held out in front of a calm, almost heavenly face, with stars circling it. The style of it looked extremely old, yet it was apparent that it had been done recently. It was very strange.

Reno shrugged. "Maybe someone got bored, and started to doodle." He tried, and Lightning smiled again. It seemed the longer she stayed up, the more she loosened up. She shrugged. "It's probably important, in _some _way, but I just don't see any connection. Maybe it got bunched in with these files by accident. It's too different from the others."

Reno paused for a moment, and then looked at her menacingly. "You don't think it's a _code _do you?" he said in feigned mysterious wonder. Lightning smirked, and shrugged, and Reno sprang up from his chair.

"It's the rabbit!" he said mystically, and for maybe the first time since they'd been together, Lightning laughed. It wasn't a big one, nothing that a regular person would pay any attention to, but Lightning's smile vanished, and she put her hand over her mouth, gazing off into space as if in wonder. Then, she smiled again. "That's the first time I've laughed in ages." She murmured, and Reno chuckled.

"You should laugh more; it sounds nice when you laugh."

Lightning smiled again at this, and it seemed as if all the hardness around her dissipated, for the first time. She shrugged. "Well, it's been hard for me, what with everything that's…" she slowly trailed off, and then a shadow passed over her eyes, and she looked down.

"Since the war?" Reno offered, and Lightning chuckled a little bit.

"Oh, it started before that, long before _that." _she sighed, and the hardness began to creep back into her soft features. Reno sighed, and looked off into the distance. His thoughts were interrupted by Lightning.

"Reno? Why did you leave the Turks? Why did you become part of this organization?" Lightning asked seriously, and Reno looked down at his hands, and shrugged. "I just needed a change of scenery, I guess." He said quietly, and then looked up at her. "After my dad died, I started to think about the way _my _life was going so far. I have a little brother named Lea." He said finally, nodding to himself. "And a brother named Axel." He added, and Lightning gaped.

"The one who's being convicted of the organization 13 scandals?" she asked, and Reno nodded. "Axel has been having a hard time, and he wasn't fit to look after a kid- let alone himself. But, after the funeral, I of course got the house, because I was the oldest. But, they needed it more than I did." He added, as if reassuring himself. "And besides, they needed a provider. So, in a way, I've given Axel responsibility." He said brightly, and Lightning smiled sadly at him.

"So you feel like you're not doing enough? That you're being selfish, because you're not there?" she asked bluntly, and Reno's shoulders sagged. "I guess." He mumbled, and Lightning chuckled in sorrow.

"You know, I have a sibling, too." She said suddenly, and Reno looked at her with curiosity. "Really?" he said in wonder, and Lightning nodded. "Her name is Serah."

Reno nodded to himself, and smiled. "That's a pretty name."

Lightning chuckled at this. "Yeah, she was so smart. She got straight A's in everything. She finished college in just two years, and she was just starting to teach the primary school in…New Bodhum." She trailed off, and Reno scratched his head. "_New _Bodhum?" He restated, and Lightning nodded, getting ready to explain it.

"After the extent of the war, Cocoon was fragmented. Lots of cities were in ruins, or needed serious rebuilding. Bodhum was a ghost town; Hanging Edge and Lake Bresha were destroyed in the War of Transgression. Eden was hanging in the air by a thread, because its power source was gone… so it was no wonder that new cities sprang up in the surrounding area, Gran Pulse." She explained. "New Bodhum was one of them. They're rebuilding the old one, but now there's a new one. That's where Serah lived." She said in a controlled, explanatory way. Reno wondered at her sudden detachment.

"But, anyway, she was teaching in New Bodhum, and then more trouble started and…" she trailed off again, and then looked up, straight into Reno's eyes. "I lost my father when I was very young- I lost my mother when I was fifteen. I had to look after my little sister. She was my world." She said slowly, and then sighed. "I'd planned a vacation before the Purge started. It's too much to explain. We were going to go for my birthday, and then _it _happened. Everything." She trailed off, and then she became hard again, looking at Reno with a very serious expression.

"It may sound stupid to you right now, but maybe your feelings- your conscience- is warning you. I only listened to mine when it was too late. Just don't forget what's important to you. If you ignore it, you may as well not have it."

Reno looked at her for a moment, not knowing what to say, and then Lightning seemed to snap out of it, and get back to work, vigorously digging through the papers. She shook her head, angry with herself. "Ugh. I can never talk about my personal life without sounding sanctimonious. I shouldn't even be talking about my personal life full stop. Sorry you had to go through that." she tried to joke, but she frowned at the end of it, obviously not thinking it was very funny. She looked over at Reno, almost expectantly, and for once, he got it. He laughed, and then went over and slapped her on the back, putting his hands up.

"Don't worry about it." He said lightly, and the corners of Lightning's mouth turned up into a grin. "You've had a hard day, you deserve the relaxation."

Lightning chuckled. "You've had a long day too, you know."

At this, Reno laughed out loud, and then looked at her suavely. "Well, I was _made _to take the heat of stuff like this. It's nothin' to me." He added, and Lightning looked down guiltily, then she sighed, and sat up straight again, with her head held high. The lightness had left her, and it sounded like what she was about to say, she didn't really want to.

"Listen, about what I said when we first met…" she started, half expecting Reno to jump in and tell her she didn't have to apologize for anything. But Reno let her keep going. He figured she wasn't used to apologizing to people, and he wanted to hear it first-hand. Lightning sighed heavily, and continued.

"I said you were just a pawn for the organization, and…." It seemed very hard for her to continue, but she did anyway. "And…I just wanted to, you know…. I'm sorry." She finished at lightning speed, and then clamped her mouth shut, and folded her arms over her chest defiantly. "So there it is." She said officially, and Reno smiled at her. The 'joking mood' she had been in seemed to have left her, and she eyed Reno seriously. "What's with the grin?" she said defensively, and Reno shrugged.

"It doesn't matter anymore, let's get back to work."

"No, I want to know what you were grinning at me for." She snapped, and Reno put his hands up again.

"Just chill out, Light." He said, and that seemed to set her off. She gaped at him, and then stood up stock straight, and cleared her throat. Reno groaned, and got ready for the rant.

"My name is Lightning Farron! I will NOT be identified by one of your stupid 'pet names' you've come up with for me. We are professional partners, and under no circumstances are we supposed to become buddies…"

As she continued, Reno looked at her closely, examining the contours of her face, the way she spoke, her eyes. Then, as he continued to examine her, he got an idea, and he felt like it was the right thing to do.

Suddenly, he grabbed her, and pulling her close to him, he kissed her passionately on the lips, hugging her tightly, and enjoying the bliss of the moment.

Unfortunately, the bliss didn't last too long.

Lightning promptly slammed her steel lined boots into his toes, kneed him in the groin, and punched him in the face, barely missing his nose. Then, as he went down, she slapped him hard. Obviously, it didn't go like he had planned it would. Perhaps it wasn't the right thing to do?

"Don't you ever pull that on me again, you perverted piece of shit!" she roared, and then stomped over to the coat rack. Reno tried hobbling over to her, but his toes on his left foot were killing him.

"Wait, where are you going? We've hardly found anything!" he shouted, and Lightning glared fiercely at him. "Find it your damn self. I'm going home." She said coldly, and slammed the door behind her, leaving. Reno slammed his fist on one of the desks, hurting his hand, and then decided to go back into his office. He hobbled inside, hoping that she hadn't broken his foot, and padded around his eye tenderly. It hurt like hell. "Fuck." He said to himself, and then plopped down into his desk chair, looking up at the ceiling. He sighed to himself, and then looked back at the papers.

There was an old code for the file room that he remembered- which had no doubt been changed. There was a page of codes dating from the Wutai War, probably old launch area codes and stuff. It would all be very interesting in a spy museum, but what could they do with it? He remembered that from the Wutai War, they had used a different code system, so they would have to run around and try to find an expert on this stuff. And would it help their case? President Shinra had been dead for five years, so it would be no use convicting him. But perhaps, there would be something connecting him to a benefactor, or perhaps someone that he had angered.

Reno scratched his head, and scribbled down some notes to himself, sighing. He felt useless. Even if he had been employed in this investigation because of his previous employer, he wasn't doing very much in the way of helping the case. It seemed like he didn't know anything about the organization that he had worked for. It infuriated him.

Useless. Just like Axel. He imagined his brother finally getting a laugh out of him. He'd called Axel useless so many times, but just what had he been doing himself?

Reno sighed, and looked down at the picture again. What the hell did it mean? He felt something gnawing at the back of his mind, telling him it was important, but he just couldn't put his finger on it. What was it? He examined the picture again, sure that he had seen it somewhere before. Then, an idea struck him.

He hobbled out of the office, punched in the leaving code, and went out to his car. Then, he drove over to the museum of art that was on the outskirts of Midgar as fast as he could, lucky not to get a ticket. When he hobbled over to the door, a man was just getting ready to lock up.

"Hey!" Reno shouted, and the man whizzed around, but didn't seem to recognize him. "Sorry sir, museum is closed." He said in a shaky voice, his imagination running wild with scenes of robbery and gunfights. He held his little protective hand gun in his right hand, and pointed at Reno with his left.

"Phil, relax. It's only me." Reno chuckled, and the little man in front of him seemed to loosen up, sighing heavily. "Aw, man, you scared me half to death." He said, and then put his hands in his pockets. "What is it that you needed, old boy?" Reno grinned, and pointed to the door. "I need in, Phil."

Phil had been one of Reno's friends back at home, and he had always wanted to work enforcing law. Ideally, he wanted to become an investigator, but he had so far only become a museum cop, because he was squeamish around blood. He was a surprisingly good sport when he found out that Reno had gotten the job that he would have adored to have.

But, all the same, he was very serious about his job, and folded his arms over his chest, spreading his legs out and standing like a stone in front of the door. "Can't let you do that, Reno. We're closed. Come again tomorrow. We open at 8." He added, and Reno chuckled, and held out his badge. "It's important, Phil. I'm doing an investigation."

Phil's face brightened up at the sound of being involved, even only if through opening the front door, in an investigation. He nodded briskly, and excitedly opened the door, letting Reno in.

"Some of the curators are still in here, but I can escort you around. What are you investigating?" he asked curiously, and Reno shrugged.

"We're investigating Shinra. I can't say much else." Reno said, and Phil scowled. "I'm a cop, Reno, I'm a friend! You can tell me!"

"It's top secret stuff, Phil. Besides, you know more than the public at this point." He added, and this seemed to brighten Phil up. "Okay." He acquiesced, and then turned around to face Reno.

"So, where do you want to go?"

Reno looked around, and pursed his lips. "Have you got a section with really old artwork?" he asked, and Phil scratched his head. "You mean like ancient artwork?" He asked, and Reno shrugged, figuring that it was worth trying.

He followed Phil into the Ancient Art section, and looked around for a little while, running his fingers through his hair. There was nothing to do with the picture. Reno sighed, and Phil saw that he was irritated. "Do you want to talk to an expert?" he asked, and Reno looked up in curiosity, and nodded.

"Follow me." Phil said seriously, and they went out into the hallway, and down the stairs into a restricted section that held various pieces of art work that were going through upkeep. He knocked on one of the doors, and a wizened up old man hobbled out to them, peering out at them through thick circular classes. "May I help you, Phil?" he asked, and Phil nodded, pointing to Reno. "This guy's got a few questions for you." He said brightly, and Reno wasted no time in showing the man the picture.

"I think it's something from a long time ago, but I don't really know when."

He heard the old man say 'oh', and then chuckle, before examining the picture more closely. Then, he looked back up at Reno in wonder. "Who are you?" he asked, and Reno pursed his lips, not really knowing what to say.

"Sorry?" he tried, and the old man shook his head. "I suppose it wouldn't matter who I told now, it's all over now." He murmured to himself, and then looked up. "This is a picture of the Hand of Cetra." He said finally, and Reno looked at him dumbly. "What?"

The old man sighed, and pointed to the picture. "This is a redrawn outline of a pictograph within the Temple of the Ancients. It was one of the least known of the various drawn stories within the temple, and this is only a portion of it." He said, and then cleared his throat.

"This person is a Cetra, the stars describe how they traveled, and the number of stars indicates how long they traveled, interestingly. The symbols on the hand indicate the search for the Promised Land, and the original pictograph originally had what resembled wisps of smoke coming from the fingers on the hand, indicating the Cetra's deep connection with the Life stream, the life of the planet. It's like a brief biography of their race, but it was so intricately and meticulously created, unlike most of the other pictures, it held so much detail! It is a pity that you are only holding an outline of the original. A pity that you had not seen the real thing." He said sadly, shaking his head.

Reno nodded, remembering how the Temple had been destroyed a good few years back. It was sad that a piece of history had to be cut off from the rest of the world like that. But, what was the point in complaining now?

Reno nodded, and then scratched his head. Why, in the middle of various military codes and the like, was there a picture of a Cetra's hand? He didn't get it, but he _knew _that it had to be important.

He just didn't know how, yet.

…

Xehanort sat by the window, and sipped on a glass of wine, enjoying the picturesque view of the forest surrounding his headquarters on the outskirts of the City That Never Was. Collectively, the whole place had been called the Land That Never Was, but no one seemed to care about the 'land' around the city… it had all but been forgotten- which was the way that Xehanort preferred it.

Suddenly, there was a tap on the door, and Xehanort's young ambassador strode in, standing in front of Xehanort somberly. He was in his usual attire, but his gloves, hat, and glasses had been discarded somewhere, revealing his scarred hands. His hair was jet black, darker than the jungle surrounding them at night, and his crystalline yellow eyes almost glowed forth from his tan skin.

Xehanort chuckled at him, and indicated a chair for him to sit down. He hesitated, and then shook his head, preferring to stand up. "Sit down, Vanitas." Xehanort said stonily, and the muscles in the young man's jaws tightened, and he sat down very slowly. Xehanort chuckled, and then set his wine glass down, addressing Vanitas.

"What is it that you wanted to tell me, boy?" he asked, and Vanitas looked on at him coldly.

"The girl Namine has been shut up." He said in a cold, cutting voice. "But there is a problem." He said suddenly, and Xehanort looked at him closely. "Well, what is it, boy?" he growled, and Vanitas nodded.

"A file is missing." He said simply, and Xehanort's fingers curled around the arm of his chair. "What?" he seethed and Vanitas pursed his lips, but then continued.

"When they were documenting the files before destroying them, they found that one file folder was missing." He said quickly. "It held various insignificant military files from the Wutai War, but there was one piece of information that seemed to have been deposited in with it."

"It was the memory code for Zack Fair, wasn't it?" he ventured, and Vanitas nodded. Xehanort chortled angrily, stroking his chin. "Well, then. I suppose that we will have to be prepared to lose Sephiroth. I will be disappointed, though. He had hardly any time to carry out his job." He said, and looked out the window again. "I had Shinra in the palm of my hands through him, but what can I do now that all these bloody organizations are looking into my activities?" he growled. "I could have been in control of two regions by now, if it weren't for my associates." He said, looking over at Vanitas.

"You know, through everything, you have been the one person I can count on. You are like a son to me." he said in a tone that bordered on affectionate, and the tenseness in Vanitas' shoulders dissipated a little bit. "Yes sir." He said bluntly, and Xehanort chuckled. "You may go." He said, and then he stopped Vanitas again. "How long is it till Axel's trial?" he asked. Vanitas looked around at him again. "A week at the least, I believe. He isn't on house arrest, but he can't leave his region. He has a tracking device pinned to him, now." He added, and Xehanort smiled.

"Yes. Everything seems to be going the way we wanted it to. Thank you, that will be all." He said quietly, and Vanitas left the room.

…..

Kairi paced the room angrily, and glared at Demyx every so often, who sat in a chair, utterly exhausted from her now frequent tirades.

"So, you're just not going to help him at all?" she snarled, and Demyx shook his head decidedly.

"Why the hell won't you help him? He was your friend!" Kairi burst out, and Demyx stood up, trying hard not to explode on her.

"He was never my friend, Kairi! He was the guy who got me sent to jail, don't you remember that?"

"Maybe if that hadn't have happened, you wouldn't have gone for the record deal, did you ever think of that?" she spat, and Demyx looked away, trying to gain control of himself, trying to find the right worlds to say.

"Look." He started, and Kairi cut him off angrily.

"I won't 'look' anymore; I don't care about your stupid explanations! You are refusing to help a friend that needs you! You're ruining people's lives; he has a little brother who will be alone now! The kid will have to move into Midgar, now, because of you!"

"Oh, it's _my _fault he's getting convicted now?" Demyx shouted. "I wasn't even _there. _It serves him right for meddling! He always messed around with people, I think things are just coming around on him again!" he roared, and Kairi shook her head in bottled rage.

"As I was trying to explain, I made a pact when I went into that organization that I wouldn't rat out on a benefactor! Kairi, Axel's not gonna be saved unless someone else offers themselves up. And I'm not gonna be the one to offer someone else up." He said, and Kairi gaped at him.

"So you are withholding information on a _criminal?" _She asked, and Demyx had the thought for a moment that he may have said the wrong thing, or perhaps said too much.

"Just leave me alone." He said desperately, and Kairi went straight up to him, poking him in the chest with her forefinger accusingly. "No I won't stop! I won't stop badgering you until you give me a yes! He is our friend!"

"He's your friend! He was never my friend!" Demyx roared, and then shook his head. "Fuck this, I'm leaving." He snapped, and headed for the door. Kairi tried to stop him, but he pushed past her roughly, and opened the door.

"Don't you leave on me!" she screamed, but Demyx slammed the door behind him, leaving Kairi in the doorway. She stood stock straight for a moment, with her chin up, but then she lowered her head, and sank to the floor, beginning to cry.

…..

Axel stood uncomfortably in front of Xigbar's house, taking in a deep breath. He thought that Xigbar was more informative in person than on the phone, and he was in dire need of a witness, so he took a deep breath, and knocked on the door. There was a tiny bit of commotion, and then Xigbar opened the door, and the smile that he had been sporting fell immediately when he saw who was standing outside his door.

"What do you want?" he said gruffly, and Axel was surprised by his sudden coldness. "Ziggy, I just wanted to ask you something." Axel tried to say lightheartedly, but Xigbar shook his head. "I won't be a witness to this case, not with who's involved." He cut in, and Axel leaned in close to him.

"You mean Xehanort?" he said in a low voice, and then Susan called from inside the house, asking who was there. Xigbar turned around. "It's just a charity, darling; I'll take care of it."

"Give them a little something, would you honey?" she called, and Xigbar said okay. Then, he turned back to Axel seriously. "It's not just the pact, it's more than that, for me… it's a part of my life that I don't want to remember, I don't want to be involved in that."

Axel chuckled in anger. "What the hell are you talking about?" he asked sardonically, and Xigbar sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "My father was part of a lie, I don't want to be a part of that same lie." He said quickly, and Axel chuckled again. "But I'm innocent, Xigbar, well, legally I am. And you know that. Doesn't ignoring that make you part of the lie anyway?"

Xigbar looked up at him in agitation at this, and Axel leaned in closer to him. "I don't know what happened with your father, and I don't know about the pact. You don't have to give away the old man. You'd just have to tell the jury that I was an okay guy; that I wasn't as involved as they thought I was." Axel pleaded, and Xigbar seemed like he actually considered it for a moment. But then he shook his head.

"If I testified, I'd have to give away the old man. It's just… I'm sorry Axel. You're on your own on this one." He said bluntly, and Axel gulped, nodding slowly. Then, he began to walk away, when Xigbar called after him.

"Remember, Axel, we were never buddies. We were just business partners. I don't owe you anything." He said loudly, and Axel nodded. "I know. I was just asking a favor." He said, and Xigbar shook his head, before going inside and closing the door.

Axel had one more member of the organization that he had to go to, and that was Marluxia. He wasn't really looking forward to it, but he had to go if he wanted any information. He trudged over to the train, and got on it, sitting down and waiting till it started up. Then, he sat back and waited.

As he looked out the window, he remembered the pact. How long ago had it been now? It had been four years since the first member had been carted off to jail, so… five years ago, maybe six? So then that was when the pact was created.

He remembered exactly how it happened, too. Everyone sat around in a circle, and Xemnas talked to them about someone that would be financing them, keeping them under wraps. And then Xehanort came out. He had been so domineering, so powerful looking despite his age, that Axel couldn't help but gasp. And they all made the pact, saying that they would never reveal a benefactor- to anyone.

Axel wondered now what would happen if he broke the pact. Would his family be 'targeted' or something? Reno was already working for the investigation bureau, so he figured he was already dealing with the 'bad guys' enough to be able to take care of himself. But what about Lea? If Axel went to jail, Lea would be stuck. He'd have to move to Midgar and live with Reno.

Midgar, a drab metropolis, damaged by a broken mako reactor, and a meteor that had hit it just a few years ago. And Axel had heard about some sort of outbreak a few years ago- called Geostigma. What if the stuff was still floating around? The people in the region had been given special medicines, and vaccines, and stuff like that for it, but what about Lea? He'd have to get vaccinated, and Axel heard that it was somewhat painful. What if he caught it anyway?

And the crime in the place was terrible. Reno went to work at 7 in the morning, so Lea would be all alone in a place he hardly knew. Suddenly, Axel felt almost sick at the thought of going to jail. Not just for himself, but for his little brother. Axel was almost sure that Lea had no clue what living with Reno would actually be like. He'd never been over there, before, except for the funeral.

Finally, the train stopped at Destiny Islands, and Axel got off quickly, breathing out a sigh of relief when the evening air hit his face. He tried to imagine all the terrible thoughts in his head floating away, and he felt better. Then, he made his way over to Marluxia's house, not knowing what to expect.

He took a deep breath in, and tried to rehearse what he was going to say. Then, he rang the doorbell, and waited for Marluxia to come out. When the man did, Axel smiled at him. "Hey, Marly!" he said cheerfully, and Marluxia smiled back at him. "Hello Axel, please, come in." He said graciously, and Axel couldn't help but notice the bad feeling he was getting.

For a moment, he stayed rooted at the door, not wanting to go in, but then, he barreled in, using all his will power to force himself forward. Marluxia raised an eyebrow at him curiously, and Axel shook his head. "Just, felt a little dizzy, there, nothing to worry about." He mumbled, and Marluxia nodded.

"Do you want some water?" he asked, and Axel nodded, sitting down uncomfortably on Marluxia's couch. The surroundings were impeccably clean, not anything too modern, but all the same, it had a very sterile, controlled look to it. Such a neutral atmosphere only intensified the aura that Marluxia gave off, and Axel's subconscious was going crazy. He didn't know why he was so uncomfortable, sure Marluxia was a bit of a control freak, and slightly psychotic, but Axel was in control. Wasn't he?

Marluxia came back out, and sat down across from Axel, sipping some water. He handed Axel another glass, and sighed. "What is it, Axel?"

Axel chuckled, and tried to smile. "I've come on important business. I don't want to sound needy, but I need witnesses for my case." He blurted out, and then paused, wondering if he should've been more eloquent in his introduction. Marluxia looked at him closely, and then set his water down.

"You know, Axel, I've been thinking lately. About you, and about your case. I was thinking- should I help him, or should I help Xemnas? Both of you were enemies to me though, so in all reality, I have no need to support either of you."

Axel frowned, and Marluxia sighed, continuing. "I certainly have a lot of information on your transactions with Xion. I was entrusted with them after I got out of jail, isn't that something? I was in jail for two years, but I got off earlier than expected because I was smart. Xemnas wasn't as smart as he made himself out to be. His father was the one that held him up on his shoulders. When he found that his son was a failure, he stopped helping him. So it was really Xehanort who got Xemnas arrested, because he relinquished his support." Marluxia explained, and Axel got that uncomfortable feeling again.

"Because you do know, if you had have tried to pull what you did when Xehanort was still involved, you would've been shot dead. Or worse. I can't tell if you're as smart as _you _make yourself out to be, because you let yourself get caught this time. Or, maybe it was your invincibility complex egging you on, and you just assumed that with all the meddling you did, you would just never be caught."

Axel stayed silent, looking away with a hard expression. He refused to think about what Marluxia was leading up to. Somehow, though, he knew deep down what this tirade was all about.

"But, anyway, I was given a lot of precious information on you, and your support for Xion, and your transactions with police, who were apparently easily payed off so that they'd give false information. They think that all the records are gone, but I've got some. And the way they play, you were talking with the police. Which means that you were working 'undercover', somewhat."

"And?" Axel snapped, and Marluxia grinned. Then, he stood up, and moved over to Axel, sitting down beside him, and rested his hand on Axel's upper thigh. Axel squirmed uncomfortably, and Marluxia's grip tightened on him. He leaned in close to Axel's ear, stroking his hair with his other hand.

"I could help you." He said quietly, and kissed Axel on the ear. Without hesitation, Axel punched Marluxia in the face, and jumped up off of the couch, going towards the door without saying a word.

"I could testify against you, too, you know!" he spat at Axel, and the red head stopped mid step, and turned around.

"What?" he said in bewilderment, and Marluxia grinned maliciously, getting up, and wiping his mouth off. "I could make or break your case, and you know it. I had the most dealings with you in Castle Oblivion, and I obtained information after Xemnas was incarcerated- some of which include transactions between you and Xion… Roxas… Saix…" He drawled and Axel stood up straighter. "You would break the pact?" Axel breathed, and Marluxia shrugged. "If you give me a good show, I may be able to arrange something in your favor." He chuckled, and Axel took a deep breath, weighing the situation in his mind.

Axel hated being used. But what difference did it make? Ventus was already using him. But he didn't want Marluxia to have any control over him.

"I was going to tell you to think of your brother, but that's probably useless. Members of Organization 13 only think about number one, number one's well-being, number one's happiness… and if keeping someone else safe and sound makes us happy, then good for us. But it doesn't make us any different than each other." He sneered. "The real test I think, would be sacrificing something of one's self to make another's life easier. I don't even think Xigbar is capable of that. I wouldn't be, and you wouldn't either. We're not different, Axel." Marluxia said in a low voice, and Axel's shoulders sagged. He didn't know what to do.

Marluxia got up, and went over to him quietly, trailing his fingers down the nape of Axel's neck, and then kissing it gently. Axel closed his eyes, trying to think, but his thoughts were becoming fuzzy. Marluxia pulled him gently over to the couch, and laid him down on it, before stepping above him, and moving his hips between Axel's thighs. He pulled Axel's shirt up, and traced circles around his hips, humming a little bit. Axel didn't know what to do, and he laid his head back, trying to get himself in control of the situation. Marluxia smiled down at him calmly. "You're making that face again." He said quietly, and Axel looked up at him in agitation. "What face?" he snapped, and Marluxia pointed at him.

"When you came trying to get information about Xion, and you bought me a drink. You were always so carefree when we had sex. It was boring." Marluxia made a pouty face at this, and then continued. "Then, when I was finally pushing your comfort zone, you backed out. I just want to see how far you can go this time." He sneered in Axel's ear, biting it hard. Axel sucked in a deep breath, and tried to turn away, but Marluxia grabbed his face and thrust it back, so Axel's face was turned directly towards his. Axel still would not look at him, refused to do it. Marluxia tightened his grip on Axel's jaw, and shook the man's head hard.

"Look at me!" he snarled, and Axel brought his eyes back up to look at Marluxia defiantly. Then, Marluxia grinned at him maliciously, and took off his belt, using it to tie Axel's arms behind his back. Axel struggled wildly, flinging himself forward at Marluxia to try to get him off.

Marluxia finally succeeded in tying Axel's hands, but Axel managed to kick him in the face, and Marluxia let out a howl as Axel tried to propel himself off the couch. As he tried to get his hands free, he felt Marluxia hit him across the back of the head, and Axel grunted, going down. He breathed heavily, and Marluxia punched him in the eye, and then got his jaw in his hands again. "You are infuriating!" he seethed, and Axel felt black dots creeping into the sides of his vision, which usually meant that he was close to passing out. He tried to blink away unconsciousness, still thinking he had a chance of getting out of the house.

"I don't want this anymore." Axel mumbled, struggling weakly, and Marluxia laughed at him. "But you have to do it, Axel! Don't you see? It's either you, or Lea." He added, and Axel looked at him with rage. "I wouldn't let Lea near you, you sick fuck!" he roared in Marluxia's face, who ignored him coolly. Then, Marluxia grinned. "I didn't mean me, Axel. Though, if he _did _stay here, I could probably arrange _something. _I meant Midgar in general. Do you know what the crime is like over there? The trafficking?"

Axel blinked up at him with big eyes, and Marluxia kissed him on the nose. "He wouldn't stand a chance. Lea's too cute to go under the radar, I suppose. He's too much like you." He added, stroking Axel's jaw. "And the sibling of a member of the investigation bureau, too. That _has _to bring to mind some _enemies _that probably want pay back. And Lea would be right in front of them." He said sweetly, and Axel tried to ignore him, but he couldn't help but think about it. Marluxia was messing with his head, and he began to panic, not knowing if he should stay or leave, take Marluxia's 'help' or not. Axel blinked back tears of rage, and then he took a deep breath, and nodded, shutting his eyes tight. Marluxia smiled, and took off Axel's pants, and then his underwear, digging his fingers into Axel's thighs. Then, he traced his fingers between Axel's legs, and wrapped his fingers around Axel's member, squeezing it hard in his hands. Axel cried out a little bit, and then went quiet again, trying to detach himself from the situation. Everything in him told him to run, but he couldn't even get up, and he felt like this was his only choice.

Marluxia moved himself closer to Axel's head, resting himself on Axel's chest, and pushing Axel's head towards his crotch. "Come on, Axel. Do well." He whispered, and unzipped his pants. Axel stuck Marluxia's member in his mouth, coughing a little bit because he wasn't used to this. Marluxia thrust it deeper down into Axel's throat, and Axel gagged slightly, but took it in anyway. Then, he began to suck on it, trying to empty his mind of any thoughts. Marluxia stroked Axel's hair as Axel did this; playing with it. He didn't warn Axel when he was about to come, and when he did, Axel choked, coughing and coughing. Marluxia laughed at him, and rubbed his head. "I didn't know you'd be so rusty Axel." He said sweetly, and Axel sat back, breathing hard.

"I'm going in now, Axel." Marluxia whispered in Axel's ear, and he felt the man's legs go away from his chest, and back down between his own legs. Then, Marluxia stuck his finger inside Axel, feeling around a little bit, and Axel bit his lip to keep himself from making any noise. Again, with no warning, Marluxia stuck himself inside Axel, and the man cried out in severe pain, gritting his teeth and trying to hide his face. But, Marluxia grabbed Axel's jaw again, forcing the man to look at him. "I want to see every expression on your face." Marluxia breathed, and Axel tried to stop himself from whimpering. Marluxia leaned forward, moving Axel's hips with him, so that they were almost directly above Axel's face. "You can almost see everything now, Axel." He murmured, and Axel's heart began to beat faster in panic. Marluxia began to thrust in and out, and each thrust sent a sharp pain through Axel.

His back was hurting because of the odd position he was in, and each thrust put more pressure on the middle of his spine. He couldn't relax at all, and his whole body was tensed, and panicked. He felt like he could hear a million sirens going off in his head, but he couldn't do anything about it. And this was the moment when Axel's final resolve broke, and tears began to stream down his face. Marluxia smiled at this, and mocked him as he cried.

If there was one thing that Axel hated more than anything, it was being helpless. Stuck, not being able to move or help himself, at the mercy of someone who was only there to hurt him. Ever since he was a kid, he didn't want to depend on anyone. And now it seemed like he had to depend on anyone he could find, because now, on his own, he couldn't do a thing.

Black dots began to invade at the corners of Axel's vision again, and Marluxia finally came, moaning a little bit. Then, he pulled out, and sat back, panting a little bit. Axel tried to wipe the tears off his own face with his shoulder, but Marluxia grabbed his jaw again before Axel could hardly move, and kissed him hard on the lips. Axel kept his mouth shut tight, and he could feel Marluxia's fingernails digging down his chest. "Ungrateful little-!" Marluxia growled, but then cooled down, and smoothing his hair back, wiping away Axel's tears, smiling. "Who knew you could be like this, Axel? I guess the joke's on you, now. And you can't escape from it." Axel looked away at this, gulping back whatever was threatening to come up his throat. "C-Can I leave?" Axel mumbled numbly, and Marluxia sighed.

"I suppose there's no point in having you over any longer. I expect that you want my help, so why don't you come back tomorrow, and change your attitude a little bit?" Marluxia murmured as he removed the belt that had been used to tie Axel's arms behind his back. "You were so tense you were giving me trouble. Just relax and take it all in." he said finally, and Axel pulled his clothes on, and left.

As he stumbled down the road, he felt pain in a lot of places. But he mostly noticed how sick he felt. Suddenly, he staggered over to a group of bushes, and vomited into them. Then, he looked around, chuckled weakly to himself, and pulled out the hose that was at the side of the person's house, and sprayed it down into the earth. It made him sick looking at it. Marluxia's come mixed with his own previous meal. He looked away as he sprayed it, and then put the hose back, and made his way to the train.

He wiped at his eyes, and smoothed his hair back, trying to look normal. Then, he got on the train. At first, he thought about just going home, but then he felt a huge pang in his heart, and changed his mind. He would go to Roxas instead. He got off the train, and walked slowly towards the boy's house, wincing as he went. People stared at him as he walked past, and he wondered how bad he looked. Some boys that were playing in the street looked at him like he was a hero. Axel chuckled to himself, thinking how odd it was. When a girl walked around with bruises all over her, everyone was all for catching the criminal, pitchforks and everything. When it was a boy, it wasn't that simple. Sometimes there was sympathy, sometimes there was praise, and sometimes 'you deserved it'. Axel just thought it was funny, just for a second.

When he finally reached Roxas' house, he took a deep breath, and rang the doorbell, hoping he didn't look any different than usual. Then, he thought that was stupid. He tried to look in a puddle beside Roxas' house, and saw that his eye was pretty black, and so was his other cheek. He thought of ways to try and hide it, maybe itching his cheek and scratching his eyebrow at the same time.

Or maybe he would just put his head down.

He was relieved when Roxas opened the door, and had the sudden urge to just pick up the boy and hug him tightly. But, his better judgment advised him against that. He didn't want to alienate Roxas at a time like this. He just wanted to be near him, near his friend.

"Hi, Roxas." Axel said quietly, a little bit disturbed by the nature in his voice, like he'd just been trodden over. Roxas noticed that something was wrong immediately, and turned Axel's face up so he could see it. His eyes widened, and became dark and serious.

"Honey, is something wrong?" his mother called from the kitchen, and Roxas shook his head, even though she couldn't see him. "No, nothing's wrong." He said, and brought Axel up the stairs to his bedroom. "Where's Ventus?" Axel inquired, not wanting to run into him, and Roxas pointed to the clock tower. "Xion brought him up to the clock tower to see the city. They've been at the beach for the day, too."

Axel attempted a smile, but it turned into a grimace, and it was painful. So he just didn't try anymore. "That's nice." He said quietly, and Roxas looked at him in alarm. Then, he pulled up the sleeves of Axel's hoodie, and he saw the deep cutting marks left by the belt. Axel swiped his arms away, which he was mortified to find were bleeding. He guessed that with the adrenaline, he didn't feel the effect that his struggling had on his arms. Axel bent his head down in shame, and Roxas gently turned it back up, as if examining it. Then, he padded around Axel's head, and found the huge lump that was forming from where Marluxia walloped him in the back of the head.

"Axel… what happened to you?" he whispered, in a voice strangled with rage and terror. Axel shrugged, but the words left his mouth before he could stop them.

"It's nothing. Just… Marluxia giving me trouble…" he tried to say with a strong, nonchalant air, but his voice cracked on the last word, and he bent his head down again. Roxas looked at him in disbelief, and then tried to formulate the question that was on his mind.

"Um, Axel? Did he… you know…"

"I guess." Axel said hollowly, and this seemed to set Roxas off. He stood up, and paced back and forth.

"This is disgusting, don't you see? What he did to you- it's horrible! Why would you let him do that to you?" he sputtered, and Axel rubbed his forehead, trying to take hold of his thoughts. "It was nothing serious, Roxas." Axel mumbled, and Roxas stomped his foot on the ground.

"He raped you! And you think being 'macho' is gonna save you now? Don't be a cowa…" Roxas realized what he was saying when it was too late, and he sucked in a deep breath, and moved back over to his friend, who had his head bent over so that his face was unseen.

"Axel, I'm so sorry." Roxas said sadly. "I'm so horrible. You don't need this right now."

Axel didn't bother wiping the tears out of his eyes, and he just looked away from Roxas as he spoke.

"Roxas…?" Axel mumbled, but he couldn't say anything else. Roxas just seemed to understand, and interwove Axel's trembling fingers in with his own, clasping Axel's hand with a surprising strength, yet gentleness. They sat in silence, then, Axel didn't know how long.

Axel yearned more than anything in the world to wrap his arms around Roxas' waist, and sob. He wanted Roxas to kiss his head, and stroke his hair and tell him things were going to be alright. But that was unacceptable on so many levels. Axel, the failure, had to keep some of his dignity.

Lea hated him because of his weakness, and Reno pitied him for it, just like Axel's parents had. They'd seen it before anyone else around him had even bothered to look, and it seemed like ever since the escapade with Selphie, Axel was leaning towards a mental break down. It pained him to think about it, but Axel realized that he had not changed at all from the time he was a child.

He broke down whenever he lost control. If he couldn't control his surroundings, it brought attention to his inner turmoil; it made him uncontrollable, too. First, when he didn't understand things, or things were too confusing or painful to comprehend, he got angry. He realized that this was probably to hide his weakness. Show everyone that he could 'tough it out', that he didn't need any help. All the sex, all the girls, the boys, the 'friends' he surrounded himself with; and the countless jobs and apartments, had all provided escape- a constant game of chase, so he couldn't face himself. And now- he was being forced to. Forced into a corner that he couldn't escape. Then, Axel finally realized it. He didn't care that he was in a corner; he just didn't want to know who he was stuck with. Himself.

Roxas had been the one person that made him feel like he wasn't completely worthless. And Axel had gone and thrown him away, thinking that he could get closer to Roxas by having sex with him. But he was already so close to the boy already. They were practically one person, when they got together. But Axel's weakness had shattered that, too.

Suddenly he hated himself very much. But, Roxas' gentle squeeze on his hand brought him back to the present.

"You were crying a lot." Roxas said calmly, matter-of-factly. There was not condescension or mocking in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm actually probably the biggest cry baby you'll ever meet when you really get to know me." he said sheepishly, and Roxas laughed a little bit. "I've never seen you cry that hard before this." Then, his face turned serious. "But, I suppose I'd cry pretty hard, too, if I was going through everything that you had to deal with."

Axel shrugged again, and sighed. "I was always a soft kid, Roxas. Reno's the hardest- headed one of all of us." He mumbled with a twinge of jealousy, but was surprised to see Roxas shaking his head vigorously.

"No way, Axel. He hasn't gone through anything _near _your life- not even _close." _

Axel chuckled at this, and gestured with his free hand, not daring to lose Roxas' grasp. It was like his lifeline. "You know, I think that might be why Lea hates me so much! We're so alike. You should've seen the tears after he found out he'd be staying with me. He's such an angry kid!" he said, and then he tried to put himself into Lea's shoes. What would Axel want if he was Lea? Then he realized another reason why Lea preferred Reno. Reno was a hero, a symbol of justice, honor, and strength. And Axel was the petty, crybaby criminal who couldn't muster up the strength to support himself. "I thought that I'd truly _changed _after I'd met Saix- but I know now that that was fake. I convinced even myself. I think that deep down- I liked him a lot more than he liked me. He was so… manly." Axel chuckled, knowing that he probably sounded ridiculous.

"I wanted to be like him. I was pretty funny when I wanted to be, and he was easy to tease. He was the only person I knew who didn't purposefully target my weak points. Well, that is, not until Organization Thirteen." A hardness came into Axel's voice, which surprised him. He thought he was just a big pile of soppy mush by now. It seemed as if he still had some strength within him.

"But, anyway, even when I teased him, he never fought back; he just let me laugh at him. He knew I'd never try to _really _hurt his feelings. He was a lot like you, Roxas, except he wasn't small and cute. He was strong and silent. I wanted to be like him- even though I knew I never could." Then his smile faded, and he noticed the pain that it caused to smile, again. "Maybe it was bad for me, you and me being friends. You were so small, easy to mess with; I loved irritating you, and joking with you. You made me feel like a person I never thought I could be. So when you and I 'split up' I lost my safety blanket."

"You don't have to explain this." Roxas murmured, and Axel shrugged again, because he didn't really want to say anything else anyway.

"I never knew how _strong _you were Roxas, never." He breathed suddenly, and Roxas rolled his eyes. "You always handle things so _well. _Even with everything that happened with Sora, and DiZ."

"There are a lot of people who have strength that never shows on the outside, Axel. Most of the time, trying to flaunt it just alludes to a weakness."

Axel had to admit, Roxas was straight forward. Then, Axel smiled to himself. "Tell me all the people who have strength." Axel whispered, and Roxas thought about it.

"Well, I'd have to think about it. Everyone we know is strong in some way, but as for the ones who don't seem to have an internal weakness… there are a good few, I guess… Xion, of course… Yazoo… Aerith… Cid… Namine…"

Axel's eyes whipped up at this, and he laughed out loud before he could help himself. "Wait, did you just say Namine had no weaknesses? Come on, Roxas. Namine?" He chuckled to himself, and Roxas pursed his lips, deep in thought.

"She looks so frail on the outside…" he started, and Axel snorted.

"You can say that again."

Roxas shot him a look, and he quieted down. Then, Roxas cleared his throat in order to continue.

"She looks weak on the outside, but inside, she's got a power that everyone underestimates. She never gives up."

"She was prone to at one point." Axel mumbled, and Roxas looked at him in anger.

"But she's not like that anymore. Ever since she stood up for Sora, for the first time, in front of the people who had made her miserable- she's grown so strong!"

"She's gotten lots of money- and that was because of Ansem!" Axel said in exasperation, and Roxas looked away suddenly, in deep thought.

"I don't know about that." Roxas said quietly, and Axel frowned.

"You mean you don't think that the money was meant for Namine?" Axel said quietly, and Roxas nodded. "From what I've seen of Ansem, he's not the type of… _person…_to be that 'giving.' It was more 'all for one and no one else' with him." Roxas said gruffly, and Axel chuckled. "Well, he changed towards the end, too."

Roxas shrugged. Then, worry creeped into his features. "Don't tell her I said that- never give her that thought! It would just make her sad."

Axel scratched the back of his head. "You think that's her weakness?" he asked, and Roxas shrugged.

"It doesn't matter if it is or isn't. Everyone likes to think that _someone _loves them, just for themselves, right?" Roxas said pleadingly, and Axel nodded. "I'd never tell her something like that." He said quietly, and Roxas smiled. "Thanks Axel. You…" he said hesitantly, and then he leaned over, and rested his head on Axel's forehead. "You're my best friend. And I mean it." He said, and Axel finally felt a little bit at peace. "Thanks." He said quietly, and looked up at the ceiling of Roxas' room, and then around it. His eyes fell on Roxas' fish lamp. It was spherical; the color of the sea, except with a light bulb inside it, and the fish each had their own individual light inside them, not as bright as the bulb inside the middle of the lamp. It was a nice, calming thing, and the fish circled around and around as Axel's eyes trailed their movements.

"I love your room." Axel murmured, and Roxas began to stroke his hair. "I wish I could stay in it forever."

Roxas chuckled. "You just prefer it because it's not your own."

"I never liked my bedroom." Axel retorted, and Roxas chuckled. "Do you like _anything _about your old house?"

Axel nodded at this, and thought for a moment. "My parents' bedroom." He said finally, and he heard Roxas chuckle again. "What's so funny?" Axel said defensively, and Roxas shrugged. "Doesn't matter."

Then, they looked out the window as the sun in Twilight Town finally set, bathing the city in beautiful light. Axel sighed, and forced himself to get up.

"Are you gonna report it?" Roxas said cautiously, and Axel paused for a moment, before shaking his head.

"Why not?" Roxas said in exasperation, and Axel turned around, and gave him a hard look. "Because I just can't, Roxas. It's none of your business, anyway." He added, and started to leave, before Roxas pulled him back. "You know, you could stay in here a little longer. You don't have to leave."

"I have to pick up Lea." Axel mumbled, and Roxas held his hand tighter, not letting go. "You don't have to pick him up just yet."

Axel sighed, and lost his temper a little bit. "I can't leave Ventus waiting at my door-!" he said, before he could shut his mouth. Roxas looked at him strangely, and then grimaced a little bit. "Axel, do you remember the time that I told you, if you keep giving pieces of yourself to everyone, there'll be none of you left?" Roxas breathed, and Axel glared at him.

"Well maybe I _want _to give myself away. Maybe I don't _want _to have to deal with myself anymore." Axel snarled, disgusted with himself. Roxas looked at him sorrowfully, and then let go of his hand.

"You hate yourself, don't you, Axel?" he said quietly, and Axel's shoulders fell again, and his resolution left him. "Yeah, what of it?" he snapped, and Roxas suddenly pulled him into a hug. "I think I torture you." Roxas said suddenly, and Axel nodded. "You don't know the half of it." He said weakly, and Roxas laughed quietly. "I don't mean to, but whenever I try to comfort you… I guess you want more of me than I'm willing to give." Roxas murmured, and Axel nodded again.

"Axel, I hope that someday you'll find someone who loves you for you, and no one else you pretend to be- and only you, no one else. I hope you find someone who can give you everything."

Axel nodded, and sat back down on Roxas' bed, looking at the fish lamp a little bit longer before he finally decided to leave. "Well, I'd better get going. Ventus isn't going to shag himself." Axel chuckled, and Roxas' jaw dropped. "You're having sex with him?" Roxas gasped, and Axel looked at him in disbelief. "Roxas, what the hell did you think I was doing? Having tea with him?" He chuckled, and Roxas shook his head slowly, taking it in.

"Well, no, of course not, just… the way you said it… sounds… like you're prostituting yourself…" he said, and then covered his mouth. "I didn't mean that." he corrected, but Axel waved him off. Then, he decided that he wouldn't tell Roxas the extent of what he was doing.

"It doesn't matter. I'll see you around. Take care." He said, and then led himself out the door. Roxas' mother waved at him as he left the house, and he smiled good naturedly at her as he went. He was glad Roxas' father wasn't there. He'd never liked Axel very much.

Axel got on the train, and slept on the way back to Disney City. Then, he stumbled off the train, and headed back to his house, dreading what lay in wait for him.

He wanted to just quit the phony relationship he had with Ventus, but the boy didn't seem to be letting up. Axel knew by now that Ventus wanted something from him that he could never give. He was looking for some strength, or something, but when he couldn't find it, he got angry at Axel. Axel wondered if he got any real pleasure at all out of the 'relationship'.

But, when he got to his front door, it wasn't Ventus that greeted him. It was Namine.

Her hair was disheveled, and she was wearing an old hoodie and shorts. She usually took a lot of pride in her appearance of late, but Axel noticed that something was very off about her.

"Hi, Axel." She said in an over giddy voice, and then shut her mouth, as if she realized she might be giving herself away. Axel opened the door, and she followed him in. Axel could feel her fingers trembling. Immediately, she wrapped her arms around him, and began to kiss his face and neck frantically, with tears coming into her eyes.

"What are you doing?" Axel said, instinctively leading her to the couch, and sitting down, letting her fall on top of him. Namine suddenly came up for air, and as she took a breath, she began to sob, sending fat tear rolling down the side of Axel's neck where her head was. She looked at him, and shook her head.

"Oh, Axel. I'm so sorry." She gulped, and Axel began to panic a little bit.

"What's the matter, Namine? What's wrong?"

Namine hesitated for a moment, and then words began to stream from her lips as fast as her tears did from her eyes. "I can't pay for your lawyer anymore. My housing situation is under fire. I can't use my money at all- they might give it to my new 'guardian'." She hissed, in a voice uncharacteristically angry. Then, she backed off a little bit, and tried to calm herself down.

"I'm sorry. I don't know why I can't control myself. I just, I wanted to help you so much… so, if you want…" she said finally, and pulled his hoodie off, kissing his neck softly.

Axel looked at the ceiling, fuming with anger and bottled hysteria. The lawyer who just might win him the case was gone. All the money was gone. He'd have to have a state lawyer. They'd give him a newbie because of the 'crime' he'd been convicted of. Everything began to crumble in his head, and he stroked Namine's back gently, thinking about it.

It would be so easy for him, right now, to take advantage of Namine. She was basically handing herself to him. He looked down at her face, stained with tears, and he felt something inside him well up. It was an animalistic feeling, when you see something small, and think about hurting it. It's just fleeting for a lot of people. But it dwelled with Axel, and he thought about it seriously. She was so desirable, and seemingly easy to trap- at least by him. He knew now that she liked him, that she'd trust him. It would make him feel better after what Marluxia did to him.

Then, he pushed her back in horror, thinking about what Marluxia had said. "We're the same" He repeated, and Namine looked at him in confusion.

Hurting Namine in retaliation for what Marluxia did to him would not help him at all. It would just confirm his selfishness, his likeness to the man he hated now. He shook his head. "Get out." He mumbled, not wanting to look at Namine. She tried to stroke his hair, but he pushed her hand away savagely, and she jumped off the couch as he advanced towards her.

"Go away! Leave me alone!" he screamed, and Namine stood very still for a moment, and then ran for the door. Axel followed her to the door, and watched her run down the front yard and down the sidewalk to the train station. Then, he closed the door, and sank to the floor.

As he just began to calm himself down, the phone rang, making him jump.

It was Ventus.

"I won't be coming over tonight." He said grandly, and Axel breathed out an inaudible sigh of relief. "I'll be there tomorrow. Maybe we can go somewhere." He added, and Axel was surprised to hear the tone of voice that someone took when they wanted to reconcile, to make things better. He hadn't thought that Ventus cared about his feelings at all.

He shrugged, and then made his way to the shower, trying to scrub himself clean of Marluxia. As the events of the day kept replaying in his head, he remembered how he'd cried so freely for both of them, and despised it, more so Marluxia then Roxas.

Then, he remembered how Roxas had sat with him for ages, just holding onto him, stroking his hair, whispering encouragement. His heart ached at the thought that Roxas couldn't give him the closeness that he wanted. But, he'd known that that would be the way it was all along.

He wondered when someone would come and sweep him off his feet for a change. He laughed out loud at the thought of such an idea, and then addressed his new worries as he cleaned himself off, and got ready for bed.

He would now need to manage two relationships, get a new lawyer, and try to obtain as much help as he could- from anyone. Maybe he could ask Sora's dad to help him, but he knew that the man didn't like him. He could try to get close to Sora. Three weird relationships.

"_Axel, do you remember the time that I told you, if you keep giving pieces of yourself to everyone, there'll be none of you left?"_

Axel tried to shrug this off. Maybe he was so messed up because he'd been broken for a long time and never realized it. Like someone trying to mash the pieces of a puzzle together to make the picture look right even though they know they don't have all the pieces. Axel sighed to himself. Where did all the pieces go? As nightmares began to creep into Axel's mind, images of Roxas' fish lamp, circling around and around, carouseled through his head, lulling him to sleep.


	8. Remembering

Namine sat in Cid's living room, staring blankly out the window. Tomorrow was the day of the trial which would decide if she was fit to look after herself. If she was deemed unfit to support herself, she would be carted off to live with Marluxia. If she _wasn't_ unfit to support herself- which she knew to be true, she would be safe. But Marluxia kept creeping into her mind.

Xion paced back and forth, tapping the side of her head in frustration. "What is it that they have on us, anyway?" she barked, pacing again. "It seems like our age is a pretty sorry case! That's all they're making it out to be!"

"If we're not 'sixteen' we aren't fit to look after ourselves. And, if both of us are underage, and I'm acting as your 'guardian' as they call it, that's a double offense. They wouldn't let us off till they thought we were eighteen." Namine said coolly, and Xion looked at her in confusion.

"Namine, why are you so 'chill' about all this? Do you know what type of person Marluxia is? He's a slime ball! He'll probably take all the money you earned from the pro and anti-erode, and he'll use it for himself! He'll leave you to starve on the streets! I mean, I can cope, but can you?"

"He wants more than that. And yes. I could cope, if he just took the money."

"Why? Do you remember living by yourself?" Xion snapped, and Namine didn't respond.

"Are you withholding information about your own past, Namine?" Xion gasped, and Namine shuffled her feet in discomfort. "It's not important, anyway."

"If you know something, tell me! It could help us! Do you remember who your parents were?" Xion asked, and Namine winced. "I don't want to talk about it." She said coldly, and Xion was taken aback.

"Namine, what happened to you?" she asked in wonder, and Namine seemed like she was about to tell her something, when Cid burst in with the groceries.

"Hey, girls! What's going on with you lot?" he said brightly, and Namine tried to appear cheerful. "I'm a little worried, but other than that, I'm okay!" She chirped. Cid nodded, and then clapped his hand to his forehead.

"Oh, Namine, I forgot to tell you, there's new information out about Ansem!" he barked, and Namine's head snapped up. "What?" she said dumbly, and Cid nodded to himself before beginning to talk.

"They said that there was proof of him being close to patenting a new technology sort of like the pro and anti-erode that you made yourself. I still don't know how on earth you created that thing! You're a smart cookie!"

"I didn't make it. Ansem left the invention for me." Namine said breathlessly, as if validating it to herself. "He kept it a secret because he knew that someday I would need it. He probably left something else for me, too, now. I think he's still going to help me." She finished shakily, and Cid shrugged. "Somehow I can't see Ansem staring past his own nose, to be honest. He was a tad bit self-centered. Brilliant, but a little self-centered. I mean, can you blame the guy? He was a genius, _and _he was good looking, too!" He guffawed, but Namine couldn't smile, her head was swimming so much.

It couldn't be true! She wasn't _lucky, _she had always been _unlucky_, to say the least. Ansem _had _to have left the invention for her! _Someone _had loved her enough to help her out a little bit. Right?

Before she knew exactly what she was doing, she was running- out of the house, down the road, and to the train station. She didn't even really know where she was going, until the train she had gotten on pulled into Twilight Town. Her heart thumped loudly as she whizzed forward, through the streets, and then to the outskirts of town, through the trees, heading towards the mansion. All the cop cars had disappeared, and the area had been roped off. Even so, Namine went under the ropes, and opened the gates to her house, slammed them shut behind her, locked them, and then continued to run towards the door. Shakily, she took out her little set of keys again, and opened the door, shutting it behind her slowly. The room in front of her was extremely dark, and a few spiders had already staked out the area for their webs. She chuckled. Marluxia had said that if he _did _get Namine, he'd be taking the Mansion down.

He'd destroy her home. He'd destroy her body, and her mind- and her only friend, too. Xion would grow to hate her. No art school. No Academy. Nothing.

Namine slid down to the floor, trying to force out tears that would never come. Then, she remembered the floor boards. She bashed her foot through them again, not even bothering to be gentle, and fell through into Ansem's underground lair. The smell of rotting papers and substances almost overpowered her, but she trudged forth anyway, forcing herself forward. She stood still for a moment, and then got to work, ripping files out of their folders, scanning anything and everything for a bit of help.

She got to the third shelf down of a cabinet marked "patents" when she found what she hoped she wouldn't. A patent number for the pro and anti- erode.

She tried to hold back tears as she read through numerous transactions on the pro and anti-erode. How Ansem had been commissioned to make them for a building company, who didn't pay him properly- she'd heard about that from the trouble with Sephiroth a few years back. He'd used pro erode on the pipes instead of the anti-erode. It was _his _fault that the company's pipes were faulty- he'd made them that way.

Then, at a grand gala where new inventions were supposed to be brought out, and debuted, he was going to debut two experiments. One was pro and anti-erode, but the other was coded "Kingdom Hearts." Namine chuckled a little bit in spite of herself. Then, she remembered something.

It was a tiny, insignificant memory, one that she hadn't even bothered to think about before now.

It was of her when she was thirteen years old, newly a teenager. They weren't able to afford birthday cakes that year at the orphanage, or even little cupcakes, so they all just sang to her. Of course, at that time, all the files on her date of birth, and place of birth, and her parents, had been lost, so _she _estimated herself to be thirteen. That's what she felt like it had been.

Then, her mind flashed to much later that year, when she was with organization thirteen. Up until then, they had been 'studying' her. Zexion and Marluxia had come in to talk with her, and Zexion had a briefcase in his hand. They had been talking together as they walked into her little white room. She hadn't yet been transported to Castle Oblivion yet.

"Do you think that stuff will work?"

"I have a good feeling that it will. With the combined extract from Sora and Kairi, it should have an effect."

"It sounds stupid to me."

"Shut up. That was my brother's life's work."

"His short life's work" Marluxia had snickered, playing with Zexion's hair.

"After Kairi injected part of herself into him, and Sora returned back to normal, the drug seeped out of him, but it took out the part of Kairi, too, and a little bit of Sora. If part of Sora _and _Kairi is in her, she could control him!"

Marluxia had snorted at this; not bothering to hide his disdain for what Zexion was talking about. "I think it's a load of rubbish." He'd drawled.

"You already see that she has a profound effect on people. She can stir their emotions. She certainly caught your eye, Marluxia." Zexion retorted, and Marluxia smiled. "Well, let's see what happens when we 'kidnap' the dear 'Investigator's' boy."

Zexion walked over to Namine, with the briefcase in hand. He slowly set it on the table in front of her, clicked it open, and Namine sucked in a deep breath, noticing the syringe inside the case. Marluxia chuckled in delight as Namine cowered back, and Zexion looked at him coolly. "Do you want to inject it?"

Marluxia shrugged. "Why not?" he said with glee, and let Zexion prepare the syringe for him. There was a small container of a strange, dark gray material that seemed to have the texture of honey to it which Zexion attached to the syringe, putting a large needle on the end of it. Then, he sighed, and handed it to Marluxia, who put on a pair of rubber gloves. "Will she go crazy from the poison in this stuff?" Marluxia questioned, and Zexion shrugged.

"We'll have to see. We've extracted as much as we can. But if it doesn't work, we can always just dispose of her, right?"

Marluxia's head snapped up, and he grimaced. "I'd rather that not happen." He said quietly, and Zexion smiled coldly. "You don't want your princess tainted?"

"She's special." He said curtly, and Zexion chuckled. Marluxia turned to Namine, and pushed her over into a chair gently. Then, he took out her arm, turning it up towards him. He chuckled, licking his lips. "Your skin is so pale I can see the veins perfectly." He said, and then slowly injected the material into her arm.

He watched her facial expressions, taking in every detail. The little girl in front of him was in pain, but she gritted her teeth bravely, and finally cried a little bit. He smiled lewdly, and stroked her hair. Then, Zexion coughed behind him, and Marluxia took out the needle and handed it back to Zexion.

Namine remembered blacking out after that, and then she ended up in the white room in Castle Oblivion. She was ripped back into the present, and then she blinked, noticing that she had been crying. Why did she remember it so clearly now? What was so important about it? Suddenly, she remembered what Ansem had said to her, when he first met her in Castle Oblivion.

"A spawn of my work rests inside of you." He had said, and Namine had been taken aback. Then, he'd grabbed her arm, turning it up to look at the needle puncture scar that had never quite disappeared. Then he'd chuckled. "You will be useful to me." he'd said coldly.

Then, Namine understood what she had meant to Ansem. Whatever had been injected into her, whatever connected her to Sora and made her able to have an effect on him and his mind- _that _was what was useful to Ansem, not Namine herself. Alone, Namine was just an orphan girl who didn't even know how old she was. But, with Sora's 'essence', she had a little bit of control over the 'prince' that everyone had been so interested in using to their advantage.

Ansem had never thought of her more than an advantage, and then a nuisance when she messed up. She was never a person to him, not even at the end, when he regretted how he'd treated Roxas, using him for information to make Sora whole again. He'd never apologized to Namine.

He had wanted to patent the pro and anti-erode for himself, for his own benefit, for his own recognition. And the new device that he had been about to show off, the thing labeled "Kingdom Hearts", he was going to use that for his own good, too. None of it had ever been for Namine. As she'd said herself to Xehanort, she had just been 'lucky'. Or maybe it was unlucky again. It stopped her from running away, and from making a life for herself on her own.

She sat on the concrete floor for a moment, with broken pieces of wood from the floor she had fallen through in order to get into this room scattered around her. She noticed the splinters in her hands, but she didn't bother treating them. She just listened to the silence that permeated the room, and began to calm down a little bit.

It hurt her, so very much, that no one had loved her. She'd wanted to please others so much, and they always ended up throwing it back in her face. Who was there to love her? What about her was lovable?

She picked at bits of dust around the floor, and then set to work, searching around every nook and cranny and old cabinet, searching for any files on 'Kingdom Hearts'. Then, she found an old newspaper clipping.

"_Ansem's new invention- said to be a key to the heart of the world!" _with the caption that read: _"Is it a new version of Planet's mako reactors? Is the heart of our world similar to the Planet's Life stream? Secrets revealed through an interview with the inventor himself!" _

Namine read through the article, finding that there was really no information on the invention at all, other than what was stated in the title and the caption. She threw the paper down, and looked around sadly. She found it odd that she, the survivor of her guardian, Ansem, didn't know as much about his experiment as someone else did.

She searched around some more, and then found a little box of letters, from Ansem to various people, and their responses. He seemed to make copies of everything. A few of them were from him to the president of the building company that he had been working for, then correspondences with King Mickey regarding the patented material. It turned out that it had never been _completely _patented, it had been pending. Then, there were letters to Yen Sid. She read them all, taking in certain parts of them eagerly.

"_I believe I have found the key to all the trouble that has been going on for so long. Through my studies, I have finally found a way to puncture the 'heart' of our region and use it to our advantage. We will be a step up from all those who stepped over us before, we must use this weapon before our enemies do…"_

"_Ansem, I am wary of this 'new invention' you are speaking of… something so powerful should not be exposed to a world that cannot deal with it… as to your notion that we have been living secretive lives for so long; how could we tell our people what has been going on without causing a stir? What would anyone gain by it? In my honest opinion, I think that you should let it go… who have you shown this to?"_

"_I have not 'shown' my invention to anyone except my lab assistant… It pains me to think that you of all people would not see the valor in giving our people such power over this poison that is bound to infect all of us if we do not do something about it!" _

"_If it were my decision, Ansem, I would have it destroyed. It is too powerful to slip into the wrong hands…" _

These letters seemed to date a little while before the gala, when Ansem was still posing as DiZ. Then, Namine noticed that there were newer letters too, that dated to right before the gala.

"_I believe that I am in trouble. I was wrong about using my invention to destroy the people who did me wrong, and I apologize for getting you roped into that… that boy has a very strong heart, and I was privileged to have gotten to know him… I do not know what will happen at this gala, but I feel that it is necessary for me to go… after so many years of selfishness, and cowardice, I want to represent my people. I will be debuting Kingdom Hearts." _

"_Ansem, I am glad that you see your wrongdoings, but I am urging you not to go to the gala. It is the perfect moment for your opponents to strike at you. With the debut of this new invention you speak of, will come a lot of people who would rather keep it under wraps. Please do not bring harm upon yourself unneeded. Wait for a council with me and King Mickey, we can discuss it then."_

"_I will be going to the gala… if any harm does come to me, I want all my reports and research entrusted to your library. I do not want those secrets spreading around. I trust you will keep them safe…" _

Namine read over each of them again, thinking about what they meant. They were all about Kingdom Hearts. What exactly that was, Namine was not sure, but she felt like part of it was somewhere in her memory. The one advantage to being so meek was that people looked over her, and told her a lot of secrets expecting her never to use them again.

She clapped her hands together; wincing at the pain brought on by the splinters, and hoisted herself up through the floor boards. She looked around diligently for some sort of cart, and she finally found a small wheel barrow in one of the doorways that led to the back yard. Then, she began to hoist files up through the floor, and into the cart. By the time she was finished, there was a huge pile of papers and other odds and ends on the cart that she felt were of importance, and they seemed to be threatening to tumble down.

She left the wheel barrow for a moment, then, and went to treat her hands for the splinters. When she was finished, she ran back into the front room where the wheel barrow was, half expecting Marluxia to hop out from behind a chair, or slither out from the shadows. She got chills just thinking about it.

After locking the door and the gate behind her, and not even bothering to go under the ropes, she pushed the wheel barrow forward, trudging up to Yen Sid's tower. It took her twenty minutes to get there, and by the time she did, she was sweating like crazy, and panting heavily. Slowly, she knocked on the door, hearing the echoes rise up through the tower, and to her surprise, Riku answered the door.

"Hey, Namine!" He said amicably, and Namine smiled at him. "Hey, Riku. What are you doing here?" she asked in curiosity, and Riku couldn't help but smile. "Well, if you really want to know, I'm training for the Mark of Mastery Exam that Yen Sid is going to give me. He says that I'm doing so well, that he may be able to get me into the military academy in Palumpolum by next year."

"That's great!" Namine tried to say brightly, but it only reminded her of her own situation. "I need to talk to Yen Sid." Namine blurted out suddenly, and Riku seemed surprised, and he finally noticed the wheel barrow behind her. He furrowed his eye brows, and looked up at her with curiosity. "Is that stuff all yours?" he asked, and Namine nodded. "I need to give it to Yen Sid." She chirped, and Riku nodded.

"Just leave the wheel barrow at the bottom of the stairs." He said, but Namine was afraid of leaving them, imagining them being whisked away, or disappearing into thin air. Riku sighed, and called for Flora, who poked her head out of Fauna's room tiredly, asking what the matter was.

"She wants to give this stuff to Yen Sid, but she can't get it all up the stairs." He said, and Flora chuckled.

"Well, there's an elevator right over here." She said confidentially, and Riku seemed to be surprised himself. Flora brought them both over to it, and they all stepped inside. It was a little crowded because of the wheel barrow, but Flora made small talk like everything was fine. Then, the elevator beeped, and they stepped directly into Yen Sid's study. Sora sat on the ground, deeply engrossed in a book, and he didn't hear Namine wheel her stuff in. Yen Sid was sitting at his desk, and looked up in curiosity as Namine stopped in front of him.

"I see that you have something for me?" he said plainly, and Namine nodded. "This is all Ansem's stuff. I was wondering if you could look after it for me." She said quietly, and Yen Sid looked at her closely for a moment, before nodding. "Sora, Riku, could you two go up into the loft for now?"

Riku nodded slowly, and Sora jumped up when he heard his name being called. Slowly, they filed out of the room, and the only people left in Yen Sid's study were him and Namine. Namine shuffled her feet uncomfortably, and when he pointed to a chair for her to sit down in, she did so quickly. Then, Yen Sid sighed, briefly looking through all that Namine had left for him.

"Did you read the letters?" Yen Sid asked and Namine nodded. "Then you are probably wondering what Kingdom Hearts is." He said dully, and Namine nodded again, not expecting him to answer. He looked up at her again, and folded his hands in front of him, pacing back and forth.

"Namine, I do not know you very well, or the extent of which you were connected to Ansem. But, I have a very powerful feeling that you know a great deal more than you think you do, or that anyone else thinks you do. You just need to remember."

Namine winced at those words. Everyone seemed to want her to remember her past, except her.

"Do you know about what exactly happened when Sora was targeted?" Yen Sid said suddenly and Namine thought about it.

"He was targeted because he was the Investigator's son."

Yen Sid chuckled, and looked at her again. "Tell me everything you know."

Namine cleared her throat, trying to remember everything she knew about Sora. The members of organization 13 talked about him so much, that she felt like she practically knew his life story.

"After Sora's father started the Investigation Bureau, they stumbled on some sort of drug that was being manipulated by a group of criminals who had the mind to take over the region by use of this drug. I think that it destroyed people's emotions, making them 'heartless', as some would call it. It was like a mutation of a substance that was already inside human beings. Anyway, they didn't like the idea of Sora's dad being in charge of the crime in the region, so they used Kairi as bait to trap Sora, and to get his father to do what they wanted. I think that when Kairi was in a coma, they reasoned with Sora that if Sora injected _himself _with the poison, they would let Kairi go. I think that they had the idea to send Sora back to his dad as a warning not to mess with them. But, there was something about Kairi that was special."

Yen Sid nodded as Namine explained, and then interjected. "The 'poison' of which you are speaking was a byproduct of experimentation on a substance that was naturally occurring in most human beings." Yen Sid sighed, and then shook his head tiredly. "There are some things that science should not meddle with. When 'science' took interest in the heart of a human being, they came up with two things that drove human emotions. Light and Dark. Up until a few years back, it was thought that only 7 humans existed with purely light inside of them, and each of those lights were different. But then, there was you." Yen Sid said with curiosity and Namine frowned.

"Ansem once spoke to me about you. He told me how much you reminded him of Kairi. But, he also said that the Light inside of you was different than Kairi's." He added. "Kairi's Light is strong and reactive. Ansem remarked that the light in your heart was unstable… but I think that that was only after the light from Sora and Kairi was deposited inside of you. That's why you had such an effect on others_." _

"That's what Ansem thought was useful about me." Namine said sadly, wondering what would have happened to her if she hadn't been 'useful'.

Yen Sid looked at her in curiosity and then stroked his beard. "Do you remember what happened to Kairi when the Light in her heart was tampered with?" Yen Sid asked and Namine shrugged. "She couldn't take it. Her heart 'fell asleep' in a way, and waited to be saved. When she was awoken again, she transmitted some of the Light inside of her into Sora, and it expelled the mutated form of Darkness that had turned Sora into a heartless. It destroyed the darkness that rested in Sora. But-" he continued, holding up his index finger "When the different forms of light from Sora and Kairi entered your body, they meshed together with the light that was already inside of you, rather than staying separate. And whereas some may call you _fragile _and _weak, _others might call you a hero." He chuckled, and Namine shook her head.

"I'm just a coward." She said quietly, and Yen Sid looked at her sternly. "Imagine if the light in Kairi made contact with a substance filled with darkness, beyond hope of any sort of life. It would destroy the poor thing- not intentionally, of course, but it is so strong and settled that it couldn't help it. But the light within you would _coexist_ with it. You could save it! Why, the way you were able to survive amongst so many bad intentioned people is proof of the power you have!" Yen Sid boomed and Namine didn't quite know what he was getting at. She wondered if _any _of the people who interacted with Yen Sid on a daily basis fully understood what he was talking about.

"Ansem _must _have told you about the Hollow Bastion Massacre! And before that! The Masked Boy?" Yen Sid inquired and Namine shook her head slowly. "It all started with _him- _a being that was made completely of darkness, a poisoned being that infected itself and everything around it. It was said that a human with only darkness inside of it, and a human with only light inside of it, when put together, would provide the means to control the _heart _of the world. Mere legend? I think not!" Yen Sid seemed to be getting very excited as he continued to explain; and Namine wondered if Sora and Riku had grown used to this by now. "But we cannot prove that Xehanort had any intentions of turning darkness into a weapon to control the people around him, because there is something that is protecting him from detection! Something is covering his tracks!"

"So you think that this is all the fault of the man who accused Axel?" Namine gasped, and Yen Sid chortled loudly. "Well, of course! Who else would want to convict the boy? If we were able to pull out the _root _of the problem, all of the weeds it has spawned would die! All the problems it caused would be solved!" He boomed, and Namine cowered a little bit, not knowing what to expect next.

But, Yen Sid took a seat, apparently having grown a little bit tired from his rant. He sighed, and rubbed his forehead. "If only we had paper proof of the true culprit, or witnesses! But as I said before… the _real _evil has covered its tracks…" Then, he looked at Namine closely.

"Namine, perhaps now is the time to look into your past. You need to see what lies there to understand what is happening now. Perhaps you know something important." Yen Sid said cryptically and Namine nodded. She didn't really like remembering her life, but she felt like it was her duty, for some reason.

"Alright, sir, I'll try." She said quietly, and exited the room. Her head was jam packed with questions that she wanted to ask, but she had no one to ask them to. She felt like Yen Sid had told her all he was going to, and she didn't want to pry at him for more information. So, she let it go, trudging back down the stairs, and out into the sunlight again. As she went out, she heard Flora close the door behind her, telling her goodbye.

She sighed, and looked down at her feet. She was so confused, and scared.

….

Axel laid spread out across the couch, twiddling his thumbs, while Ventus read a book beside him. Axel stole a glance at him, and caught the boy's eye, before hastily looking back down at his hands again. Ventus sighed, and rubbed Axel's stomach, before setting the book down, and lied down on top of Axel. He kissed the man's forehead, and played with the man's spikey red hair, stroking his chest.

"What are you thinking about?" Ventus inquired, and Axel shrugged. "Just the lawyer that you're bringing over. Is he good?" Axel asked, and Ventus chuckled. "It's a girl, and I don't know if she's good or not. She's an old friend." He said simply, which got Axel wondering.

Ventus had mentioned yesterday that a friend of his was coming into town, and Axel had wondered who he meant. Then, the boy had told Axel that the person could be a potential lawyer.

"Does she work for free?" Axel chuckled, and Ventus shrugged. "I could probably get a discount out of her." He murmured, and kissed Axel's neck.

"Why don't you do anything?" Ventus suddenly hissed, and Axel pursed his lips. Then, Ventus pulled Axel's shirt up, and trailed circles around his chest with his tongue. Then, he sucked on one of Axel's nipples, playing with the other with his fingers. Axel breathed a little more quickly, but tried to control himself. Then, without warning, Ventus bit Axel's nipple hard, making the man yelp in pain.

"Ventus, what the hell was that for?" Axel barked, massaging his nipple tenderly, as Ventus folded his arms over his chest. "You always make me do all the work!" Ventus hissed. "You just sit there like a vegetable, thinking all the time!"

Just as he said that, there was a knock on the door, and Axel sprang up to get it, pulling his shirt back down over his front. Ventus stayed on the couch, pouting.

When Axel opened the door, he sucked in a deep breath, and immediately felt a tingling sensation in his nether regions. The woman in front of him had short, blue hair, and sky blue eyes framed with dark lashes. Her skin was pale, and she was tall, and strikingly beautiful. And Axel couldn't help but look at her breasts, which _were _lovely. For the first time since he was a little boy, Axel looked at a girl in front of him dumbly, and couldn't find any words to say.

"Is that you?" she said, gulping back tears, and Axel felt something well up in his chest. Did she know him from somewhere? Was this his dream girl? Suddenly, she held her arms out to him, and rushed forward. Axel held his arms out too, and let her come to him… and then he watched, dumbfounded as she ran _past _him and over to Ventus.

"Ventus!" she cried in delight, hugging the boy close to her as if she was afraid that he would slip away from her. "I'm so sorry I was gone for so long! After everything that happened… oh, I have no excuse for leaving you on your own like that!"

"It's okay. Xehanort made you leave." Ventus said quietly, and it was as if the boy's whole nature had changed. Aqua shook her head. "No. I shouldn't have just left you like that, alone. It's all my fault." She murmured sadly, stroking Ventus' hair. Axel suddenly felt jealous at all the attention that Ventus was getting. A very large part of him wished that he was in Ventus' place at that moment.

Then, as if remembering where she was, Aqua stood up quickly, brushing herself off and blushing. "Well, what is it that you wanted me to help you with, Ven?" she said curtly, and Ventus pointed to Axel. It was apparent that Aqua hadn't noticed Axel until just now, and when she did look at him, her mouth formed into a little 'o', and her cheeks became a little bit pink. "Hello." She said quietly, and Axel nodded awkwardly, still not able to say a thing.

"Axel needs a lawyer." Ventus said for him, and Axel nodded again. Aqua smiled gingerly, and shrugged.

"Well, I'll try my best. I've only been at it for one year, but I think that I'm pretty good. So I may be able to help you." She said in a strong voice, and Axel closed his eyes in wonder, listening to her talk.

"After my completion of the Mark of Mastery Exam under Master Eraqus, I went to the Guardian Academy in Palumpolum, and I was going to come back here, but then the war began in Pulse, so I got out of there as quickly as I could, and went to law school in Free Gestahlia, that took four years. And then, I was back in Pulse for a year, and now I'm back here!" she finished with a sigh, and then waited for a response. Axel scratched the back of his head. "I don't have any money to give you." He said bluntly, and Aqua pursed her lips. "I can't work volunteer, I just can't. I need money, too." She said, and Ventus waved her off. "He'll get some money. And you can stay with me and Roxas for the time being, if you really want to." He explained, and Aqua nodded to herself, taking it all in.

"That would be great." Then, she waited for a response, which didn't come. "Well, shall we get started?" she chirped, and plunked herself down on the couch. Ventus crawled in beside her, and Axel sat awkwardly on a chair across from the couch, feeling slightly out of the picture.

"So, Axel, you're being convicted because of your involvement with the Organization 13 scandals, right?" she asked, and Axel nodded nervously.

"Do we have any witnesses we can use? Any tapes, stuff like that?" She tried, and Axel nodded, immediately thinking about Marluxia. "I know a few people who would be willing to side with me." he mumbled, and Aqua nodded. "Can I have their names?" she tried, and Axel nodded.

"Well, there are Roxas and Xion, and Namine…" he said, and immediately felt bad for roping them into things. "…And some others." He added hesitantly, and Aqua picked up the uncertainty in his voice immediately. "You don't have to withhold people's information. I'm going to have to talk to them, anyway." She reasoned, and Axel nodded. "I know, I just want to take care of him by myself." He snapped, and Aqua pursed her lips. "I need to know his name." she said slowly, and Axel sighed in agitation. "His name is Marluxia." He growled, and Aqua nodded solemnly. "Do you know anyone who may be testifying against you?"

Axel shrugged, and scratched the back of his head. "I don't know. Xemnas. Maybe Larxene. But I doubt that." He added grandly. "She used to like me a lot." He added, as if that was his reasoning behind his last comment. Aqua tilted her head, and looked at him closely. "Still, you never know what people will do." She murmured, looking down at the ground.

The way her eye lashes fluttered over her eyes made Axel feel hot, and he suddenly jumped up, and started to fan himself. "Sure is hot in here!" he said hoarsely, and clicked on the electric fan in the kitchen. He stood in front of it for a few seconds, and then returned back into the living room, and sat down. Aqua looked at him closely, and he had the idea that she probably thought he was very strange. Ventus' expression was unintelligible.

"Well, I'm going to contact the Head Investigator and ask for his help on this case." Aqua sighed, and went for the phone. Axel gaped. "You know Sora's dad?" he said in wonder, and Aqua looked away with a dark expression. "A long time ago. But I think he'd be willing to help us out." Then, she went back into the kitchen, and made a call.

When she had left, Ventus grinned at Axel, snickering quietly. "What is it?" Axel snapped, and Ventus shrugged. "I've just never seen you so head over heels before."

"You haven't known me that long."

"I think I wouldn't be the only one to say that. You're usually so cool and collected." He added, and Axel sighed.

"I've just never met a woman like her before!" He said quietly, and Ventus smiled. "She's mine." He said bluntly, and Axel looked up at him with big eyes. For a moment, Ventus stared at him, but then the boy broke out laughing. "You look so damn sad! Aw, poor Axel. All of the people he likes are with me now." He said, making a pouty face. Axel looked down at his hands glumly.

"I don't think we've been sharing properly. I give you everything, and you never return the favor." Ventus snarled, and Axel folded his arms over his chest defensively.

"What do you mean? I've given all of myself to you!" Axel snapped, and Ventus shook his head.

"If you'd given all of yourself to me, you'd be in love with me right now." He mumbled. "If you share yourself with me, I'll share my friends with you." Ventus drawled, and Axel looked up brightly.

"But you've got to give _everything _of yourself to me." Ventus restated, and Axel nodded slowly. "What do you want me to do? It's hard for me to give that much of myself away." Axel tried, and Ventus shook his head again. "Get a damn back bone, for a start. Stop feeling so sorry for yourself."

"Whatever." Axel said quietly, and tried to look Ventus in the eye. But he still couldn't. It was agonizing, trying to look into the boy's eyes. They held something very dark in them.

Suddenly, Aqua came back out, and put her hands on her hips. "Well!" she said happily, and patted Axel on the shoulder, sending a tingling sensation down his arm. "He said he'd help! He was delighted to hear from me. Axel, who's the one convicting you again?"

"Xemnas." Axel said, and Aqua frowned. "I thought he was in jail."

Axel shook his head. "Not anymore. His dad took him out."

"You mean Master Xehanort?" Aqua said in a strangled voice, and Axel nodded slowly. "You got a problem with that?" he said, and Aqua nodded. "We had a couple of run-ins in the past. But that's alright. I'll deal with it. This needs to be done." She said finally, and Axel pursed his lips, wondering what had happened to her. He gathered that she had personal ties with Xemnas' family.

Ventus seemed to be growing bored, and he suddenly got up, mumbling that he was going to the bathroom. Aqua watched him as she went, and then when he was gone, she turned a cold gaze onto Axel. "Did you do something to him?" she said darkly, and Axel snorted. "What are you talking about?" he drawled, and Aqua marched right in front of him, until their noses were practically inches away from the other.

"Something is very wrong with that boy." She said with a shaky voice, as if she was trying to hold back emotions. "He was never like that when he was with me. He's changed."

"I don't know what happened to him. He was like this when he came here." Axel said defensively.

"When did he come here?" Aqua asked, and Axel thought about it. "A few weeks ago, I think." He replied, and Aqua nodded. "I wonder…" she said in a far off way, looking out Axel's window.

Axel traced the contours of her face with his eyes, taking in her profile with relish. He had the extremely powerful urge to grab her, and make love to her, but he knew that that wouldn't be the best thing to do.

She sighed suddenly, and then looked back at Axel. "I think that I'll be on my way in a moment. Take care. Once you get that other witness of yours, tell me so I can talk to him."

Then, she got her things together, and headed out the door. "Bye, Ven!" she called after her, and Ventus waved at her from the kitchen. Axel wondered how long he'd been there. Then, Aqua was out the door, down the pathway, and gone. Axel's lower lip moved out, and he caught himself pouting a little bit.

"You really like her, don't you?" Ventus sighed, and Axel looked at the ground, thinking about what Ventus had told him before- about the sharing. "Yeah." Axel said honestly, and Ventus chuckled.

"Come 'ere." He said fondly, and Axel trudged over to him, and crawled into his arms. Ventus kissed him on the forehead, and Axel tried to think of how he could give all of himself to Ventus.

….

Vanitas stared at the blood in the sink in front of him listlessly. The side effects of his trying to wean himself off his medications were causing him great pain, and in a moment, the horrible burning sensation travelled up his throat again as he heaved more blood and black mucus into the sink in front of him. Just as he came up for a breath of air, he spotted an unopened vial of medication a few feet away from him. He forgot that he had picked it up from Xehanort.

"You will not take it!" he snarled into the mirror, trying to block the medication from his mind. Then, sudden hysteria over took him, and he began to laugh, until tears were streaming down his face and he could hardly breath, and his hands shook in sudden panic. He felt like he was going through a thousand emotions at the same time, trying to gain control of himself. His face contorted in rage and pain, and he held his burning stomach in agony, as he keeled over onto the ground. When he couldn't stand it any longer, he crawled over to the vial of medicine, and loaded it into a syringe. It was a molasses thick, tarry colored and textured material, and when he injected it into his arm, he could see the veins on his tan skin turn black as the medication ran through his blood.

In ten minutes, the panic and emotions began to go away, and he slowly felt as though his heart was becoming numb. Then, the pain began to subside, and he breathed out a sigh of relief, closing his eyes and leaning his head up to the ceiling. He didn't feel anything anymore. He didn't even hate himself anymore for how weak he had been. He just felt cold.

He sighed, and went back to the mirror, wiping the blood away from his mouth, and washing it down the sink. Then, he clenched and unclenched his fists curiously. He'd seen Sephiroth do it a few times before, and he wondered what it was for. It was probably to help relieve stress.

He looked in the mirror again, examining his face. When he had been born, nobody had wanted him. He was what people called a 'blank book', he didn't take things in as quickly as other children- he was very slow, and he seemed to be off in his own world a lot of the time. When Xehanort took him in, he said that he saw 'promise' in the boy, and he enhanced his body and mind, to make him stronger.

He hardly remembered a thing about his childhood before he met Xehanort. All he could remember of the funeral was a hazy picture of two shabbily made coffins being put into the ground side by side, and throwing white flowers on them. Someone had gotten mad at him for not putting the flowers down at the right time. Apparently, he was supposed to wait for the coffins to be buried before he set the flowers down.

Xehanort had come to the funeral. Vanitas was branded for an orphanage, until Xehanort came. Everyone was astonished to see such a high up official at such an unimportant gathering. He said he'd heard about the sad situation in the newspapers, and he was willing to take the child in. Everyone thought it had been a blessing.

He heard about Ventus before he met him. Xehanort explained it to him in more detail before he imprinted part of Ventus onto Vanitas.

He remembered walking into a huge room, with an enormous spherical mechanism in the middle of it. What looked like two trays were sticking out of it, side by side. On one of the trays sat a very small boy with spikey blond hair. Vanitas had waved to him, and Ventus had smiled.

"Will I hurt?" Vanitas had asked, and he remembered the cold look that Xehanort had given him. "Perhaps."

Vanitas had been too afraid of Xehanort to question him, so he just nodded. Then, they lied down on the two trays, and were pushed into the sphere. Vanitas couldn't distinguish what of the rest of the memory was real, and what was contrived by his imagination. They had been separated by a transparent wall that had a variety of tubes coursing through it, like veins. Then, two tubes seemed to slither out from the wall, and attach themselves to Vanitas' and Ventus' necks. Vanitas remembered crying because he didn't understand what was happening, and then, a strange mist settled in around him, and he suddenly felt calm. Something inside him felt detached, and then there was a black tarry substance going from Ventus into Vanitas, slowly and sluggishly coursing forward.

Then, everything seemed to transform into a horrible nightmare. The substance going directly into his blood, into his nerves, was foreign, something he'd never experienced before. Everything around him seemed to glow, and when he touched things, searing pain travelled up his arms, and everything exploded into color, and he hardly noticed Ventus being pulled out of the machine. The mist was still around him, but he could feel it disappearing as fresh oxygen was pumped inside the machine, and he remembered blacking out.

As his body adapted to the substance, Vanitas began to change, although he didn't realize it at first. Before the experiment, his life had passed like a pleasant dream, and he had felt detached from the rest of the world. After the experiment, his world turned so sad. Extreme sadness was the first strong emotion that he began to feel. Then, he changed even more.

Now, life was painfully real, and it seemed to beat down on him. Certain things hurt to look at, sharp edges and dark colors seemed to jut out farther, and his sensitivity to pain increased. Sometimes even something brushing against him hurt him. When he felt something, it was always extreme, if he was sad; he was bereaved, when he was afraid, he felt terrified.

He remembered a few days after the experiment, when he went to see Ventus, who was in a coma. "What's wrong with him?" Vanitas had asked. "He is dying." Xehanort responded, and Vanitas remembered feeling like his heart had ripped in two. "Why?" he cried, and Xehanort looked at him in anger. "Because the experiment didn't work. I don't see any change in you. You are still a slow, weak little child. Because of you, his death will be in vain." Then, Xehanort had left Vanitas alone, in front of Ventus, heartbroken.

Vanitas remembered this, feeling the tiniest twinge of sadness, but not near enough to affect him- the medicine dulled his intense emotions to nothingness. He despised when he was in this strange sense of being, where he felt nothingness. It reminded him of a time when he had met one of the 'heartless' created by Master Xehanort's son, young Xehanort.

Up until then, Vanitas was plagued by extreme negative emotions, and lacked any internal balance. At that time, he still trusted Master Xehanort completely.

The day that he first met Master Xehanort's son, Vanitas had been told that he would finally be 'cured'. Then, Master Xehanort's son came in, with sunken cheeks and a tired, old look to his face. It seemed as if the events of the Hollow Bastion Massacre had taken their toll on him.

Behind him, he wheeled in a cage, with something in it that hardly looked human. Its eyes glowed yellow, and its skin was shiny and black. The creature had looked up at Vanitas and tilted its head, as if in curiosity, like a little baby.

"It won't hurt you. Touch it." Master Xehanort had said, and Vanitas had obeyed, sticking his hand into the cage. The beast inside the cage looked at it hungrily, and then lashed out at him, biting his arm. Vanitas had pulled his arm out quickly, examining the deep marks the thing had left on his skin. For a moment, his arms had hurt immensely, but then, the pain went away, and Vanitas could feel the poison from the animal coursing through his veins, dulling his emotions. The last emotion he remembered feeling that time was fear.

Vanitas snapped back to the present as he heard a knock on his door.

"Vanitas, may I come in?"

It was Xehanort. Vanitas quickly cleaned his mouth out and brushed his teeth, also making a point of cleaning out the sink and hiding the bloody towel. He did not want Xehanort to see any of his weakness.

Xehanort walked in, supporting himself with his cane, and sat down on Vanitas' small wire framed bed, sighing. "Vanitas, I came to relate to you some distressing news." Xehanort said gruffly, and Vanitas stayed standing.

"You have taken your medication, am I correct?" Xehanort asked, and Vanitas nodded, looking back at the empty vile on the side of the sink.

"That is good. Well, five years after my son first supplied us with your medication, we were about to run out, but then with the deposit of the machine used to 'create' heartless in Malificent's hands, more began to spring up everywhere. And, apparently, a few were able to escape from the Hollow Bastion Massacre into other cities."

Vanitas tried not to chuckle, thinking how ironic it was that he had just been thinking about exactly what Xehanort was talking about.

"Well, we were able to acquire enough for five more years' worth of medication. But there is a problem."

"It's run out." Vanitas finished for him indifferently, and Xehanort sighed. "Well, not quite. We still have about a month's worth left, but, that's all. All the heartless have disappeared, and Ansem's reports are not enough to create the Heartless machine again. I just wanted to inform you of the situation."

Vanitas looked around his room, at the small bedroom he had inhabited now for many years, refusing to say a word.

Xehanort quietly got up, and went to the door. "Well, in any case, Sephiroth is enlisting his son Kadaj for help. If Sephiroth is targeted for a jail sentence, we can just get rid of him, and let Kadaj take his place as the puppet head of Shinra. With my son out of jail, people will question the validity of the investigation bureau, and with Xemnas' expertise on his brothers work, we can develop new technology regarding Kingdom Hearts in the labs at Shinra. I think everything will be sorted out within the next month, anyway." He said brightly, and Vanitas blinked up at him in wonder.

"Oh, and I am glad that you took this so well." Xehanort added, and Vanitas caught a slight tone of mockery, deliberate or not, on Xehanort's part.

Vanitas stayed silent after Xehanort left the room, and absentmindedly smoothed out the covers on his bed. He stood up, and walked over to his keepsakes drawer. In it was a button that he had pulled from his good coat at the funeral, a shell he'd found on the road in one of the cities Xehanort had taken him to when he had been pitted against Ventus so many years ago. A shard of wood from the frame of an old mirror that he'd had in his old room in the Land of Departure. And, perhaps the one that was the most important to him, a piece of an old wooden sword that Ventus had given him when they'd lived together with Xehanort, before Ventus had been deposited to Master Eraqus.

Vanitas pulled a small metal bin from the bathroom, and ripped up a few old pieces of paper he had written on, throwing them in it absentmindedly. Then, he set them on fire, and slowly, one by one, rested his keepsakes amidst the flames, and watched them burn. The piece of Ventus' wooden sword burned first, and a slight melancholy passed over him, and he touched his chest, wondering how strong the feeling would have been without the medication he had inside of him. The wood from the mirror frame was the next to go, and then came the shell and the button.

The plastic button seemed to melt, and bits of it oozed out over its base, which was beginning to soften, too. The shell cracked, but seemed to be resisting the fire engulfing it, and the button had completely melted into a brownish black slop. He thought it wasn't very fair how the most important keepsake was the first to burn, not even the keepsake that was the oldest lasted the longest. The one from Xehanort had been the last to go.

A part of him still trusted Xehanort. He had been at the man's side, working for him, doing his bidding for so long that he feared he wasn't even a human being anymore. He'd spent so long lacking emotions, that they seemed alien to him, alluding to a weakness on a person's part. After all, being able to influence what other people felt without _them _influencing _him _was his greatest advantage. But he was adaptable.

He wondered how long it would take to find a cure for himself. He hoped that it would show itself within a month.

…

The rain pattered relentlessly outside as Kadaj sat in the living room of the small apartment that he was renting in Nibelheim. It was dull and dreary, like the surrounding village, unfortunately, but it was necessary.

Sephiroth had contacted him, asking him if they could meet, and discuss 'partnership' in something. Kadaj had opted out of telling Loz and Yazoo, because he had a feeling that they didn't want anything to do with their father, and also because, strangely, he didn't want them involved in his affairs anymore. They had been forced together for so long that their presence had become stifling to each other, and Kadaj knew he was different from them. Things were easier for them. They hadn't been through as much as he had.

Even though Sephiroth was a terrible person, Kadaj felt connected to him through the fact that _he _had been abused by Hojo, too. Maybe they would be able to see eye to eye.

There was a ring on the doorbell, and Kadaj took a deep breath, and answered it. Sephiroth stood at the door, and he was angry. "Is something wrong, father?" Kadaj asked calmly, and Sephiroth snickered.

"I've been barred from visiting Hojo. Why, I do not know. And that bloody old man and his little _ambassador _he seems to adore so much… sometimes I wonder just how close they really are, how much the little shit is giving to that geezer…" Sephiroth snorted, and Kadaj turned away, wrinkling his nose at the crudeness of the comment.

"Trust doesn't equate to…" Kadaj began coldly, and then trailed off, but Sephiroth finished for him.

"Sex?" He tried, and Kadaj looked away in distaste. He had not expected things to go so bad so soon. Sephiroth snickered again, and sat down. "But I didn't come to complain, anyway. I wondered if you wanted to help me out." He said, and Kadaj looked up in surprise.

"Since you do happen to be my eldest son, and I do happen to be the Head of Shinra now, I wondered if you were interested in becoming my right hand man. Then you'd know the ropes when I got too old to man the company anymore." Sephiroth drawled, and Kadaj breathed out deeply. He was wanted for something. "That would be very… wonderful." He replied, nodding his head.

Sephiroth clenched and unclenched his fists, and Kadaj wondered if he was irritated. Xehanort must have really been getting up his nose.

"With you and me side by side, we can eventually put down the old man." He sneered, and Kadaj was surprised again. He thought that Sephiroth didn't mind Xehanort. After all, the man had gotten him out of a sizeable jail sentence.

"I don't like people treating me like a pet. That's what he thinks of me as! A stupid dog… I think that I need to pay a visit to Hojo." He added, as if the thought just entered his head, and Kadaj immediately weighed the disadvantages of this in his head. "I don't think that that would be a good idea sir." He reasoned, and Sephiroth stared out the window into the town that he had once destroyed. "He is under custody of the Investigation Bureau, walking in on enemy territory-"

"-Means I've got nothing to hide." Sephiroth finished, as if ending the conversation. It was apparent that he wouldn't be reasoned out of doing this.

"What do you want to know?" Kadaj asked, and Sephiroth shrugged. "If the old man was talking about it, it has to be important."

There was silence as Sephiroth formulated what he was going to say next and Kadaj waited for him to say it. "But, I think that I will need a bit of your help, as I said before." Sephiroth murmured, and Kadaj nodded. "You do know that the Investigation Bureau is trying to find a trail that leads to me, in a way, right?" Sephiroth chuckled angrily, and Kadaj nodded. "Well, it seems they've got a bit of information on me that I'd rather they didn't decipher."

"What do you mean, sir?" Kadaj asked, and Sephiroth sighed, rage contorting his face. "I need to tell you a little bit about myself first, about my past. This is confidential." He added dangerously and Kadaj nodded again. "I was born of a scientist named Lucrecia Crescent. Hojo was my father." Sephiroth began. "When I was a year old, I was put under experimentation in an endeavor titled 'Project S'. I went through this ordeal, never able to see the light of day, until I was thirteen years old, when my memories were wiped. I became a 1st class SOLDIER, and I was respected as a hero. Then, years later, we were sent to Nibelheim on a mission. We found some of the old labs used for experimentation under the project, and I began to remember things. Then, everything flooded back to me, and I went back to Shinra Mansion to gather information on where I came from. I couldn't take it. I destroyed everything around me. And, unfortunately, a few people saw what I did." He finished, shrugging. "Unfortunately, the man who saw the most was a young SOLDIER, only 18 at the time, named Zack Fair."

"Aerith's fiancé" Kadaj gasped and Sephiroth sighed, rubbing his temple. "Yes, who is also under custody of the Investigation Bureau. But, that isn't the point. His memory of the Incident was wiped by Shinra, but they kept the file containing the code words that would bring it back to him."

"What are they?" Kadaj asked curiously, and Sephiroth shot him a suspicious glance, but decided to tell him anyway.

"It's 'Cetra's Hand'" He chuckled. "Apparently I said it to Zack in passing when we were in the labs. But, the Investigation Bureau did a little bit of a 'secret inspection', and found the file. If Zack remembers-" Sephiroth added, "things are going to look very bad for me."

"Well, if you could make a case to get yourself out of jail after everything you did, can't you make a case against this?" Kadaj said glumly, and Sephiroth glared at him.

"You think being cheeky is going to help us?" he snarled. "Xehanort has informed me that he won't support me if I mess up again. This is the 'last straw' for him, I suppose."

Kadaj looked away. It seemed as if the man couldn't do a thing for himself anymore. What happened to the genetic engineering that had made him so smart? "I'll help you." He mumbled, and Sephiroth nodded. "That's great."

Then, he stood up, and went for the door. "We will move you to an apartment in Midgar so you can be closer to the 'action', so to speak. Oh, and I'll have to have you act as a bit of an agent."

Kadaj looked up in curiosity, and Sephiroth smiled. "You _know _the enemy. Make friends with Sora's dad. Get a little bit of information out of him. Maybe the kid knows something. You're certainly cute enough to make him open up for you." Sephiroth added lewdly, and Kadaj stood up angrily.

"I won't prostitute myself for your benefit! I said I would help you, not become your lap dog!" Kadaj snapped, and Sephiroth moved closer to him, and touched the young man's arm. Kadaj slapped the man's arm away from him, and stepped back.

"Calm down, Kadaj." Sephiroth said calmly, getting a kick out of his son's discomfort. "Is that what Hojo used to start off with?" he snickered, and Kadaj backed away from him, suddenly slightly panicked. "You're disgusting!" he snarled, and Sephiroth frowned. "I know that he did something to you, too, I can see it in your face." He said, pointing to Kadaj's eyes. Then, Sephiroth's face softened a little bit. "I see it in the mirror every day."

Kadaj shook his head, still backing away from the man who seemed to be getting closer and closer to him. "Do you think you're helping me out by saying this? I got over it a long time ago. I don't want to talk about it." He hissed, and bumped into a wall. Sephiroth's hands curled into fists, and he gritted his teeth. "People like us need to confide in each other."

"I'm not like you!" Kadaj spat, and Sephiroth chuckled. "You look just like me. You sound just like me. You've been through pretty much the same thing that I have, and by the same man." He added, and Kadaj felt like he was suffocating.

"If you just trusted me, I could comfort you. The last thing people like us need is to be alone." He added, raising his hand up to touch Kadaj's face. "I did just fine on my own! I was getting better!" Kadaj gasped, trying to push past Sephiroth, but the man pinned him to the wall.

"You will never get better! Trust me, I know it! You think that you're in a good place, you're around good people, but then you begin to feel the same mistrust and resentment towards them as you did towards the people who did you wrong! When you're alone, the whole world lays itself upon you- you'll kill yourself like that!" He snarled, and Kadaj felt a whimper escape his throat. He wondered if the man in front of him enjoyed seeing him in this pain. "You need someone like you, who you can talk to, who understands what you've been through- who can give you what you need!" Sephiroth hissed, and let Kadaj go.

"I don't need you!" Kadaj spat, and Sephiroth looked back at him coldly. "You're a little liar. I hope you can be more honest when we collaborate together." He said dully, and exited the hotel room, leaving Kadaj alone again. It seemed as if what Sephiroth had said before came true that exact moment, and he felt like he needed the man back in the room. He wondered if Sephiroth had infected him in some way.

'I can't work with that man.' Kadaj thought to himself desperately. 'He'll destroy me. I'm too fragile.' He wondered if it was like a hunger with Sephiroth, a need to make others' lives miserable. But he couldn't just condemn the man that was his own _father. _What about the family that he had longed for for so long? Every family was at least a _little _bit dysfunctional, right? Maybe his just needed a little more work than the average family.

He sighed. He would have to try. Even if it meant betraying his new friends.

….

Namine walked into the courtroom in Disney City, alongside Xion. She had been granted a 'volunteer' lawyer because the bank had 'refused' to let her take out a check and the state wouldn't support a 'potential criminal'. They said they could not unfreeze her account until she was proved to be 16 years old- which she knew in her heart she was. She just didn't have the birth certificate to prove it. Xion patted her shoulder reassuringly, winking. "We have absolutely nothing to worry about." Xion said kindly, and Namine smiled. "I don't know yet." She whispered to herself, and they both sat down.

Their lawyer was a balding man of about forty five, who was chewing aimlessly at a piece of fried okra, part of leftovers from a restaurant down the road. He nodded at them slowly, and Xion gritted her teeth together in anticipation. She had not been expecting a guy like _that _to be representing them both in court.

Marluxia sat at the table across from them, visibly relaxed and slightly bored. They looked around at the witnesses that had been called in, and Namine's fingers went cold as she saw the headmistress of her old orphanage staring back at her over red rimmed cat-eye glasses. Her outfit looked like it came out of a history book, a long thick dress that buttoned up to the chin, elegant but not flashy. Namine was almost _sure _that the woman still wore a corset. Then, she looked around and saw the physician from both of the orphanages that she had stayed at, a nurse, and the girl from the bank who she frequently visited with when she went there to get money out. It just all seemed so _strange- _and unneeded.

"This court is now called into session." The judge commented lazily, and everyone stood up. Xion looked around in a confused manner. She'd never had to go to court before. Namine felt like her heart was about to beat right out of her chest. Marluxia smiled at her, and waved, and Namine felt herself turning into the same scared, lonely little girl that Larxene had said she was two years ago.

The 'witnesses' all came up one by one, and Marluxia's lawyer made a point of indirectly pointing out the stupidity of the physicians from the Orphanage that Never Was when they said that they believed Namine was, indeed, 18 years old from her medical examinations. At the beginning of the case, it was to be assumed that Xion was the same age as Namine. Then, they called up the physician from L'Académie. He was a suave, handsome man with a slightly artificial look to him. Marluxia's lawyer asked him questions which sounded like he was trying to make small talk, but then he cleared his throat, preparing for the _real _questioning.

"So, Namine came to L'Académie Pour Les Petite Débutantes how many years ago?"

"She was moved into our orphanage when she was very young. She had a little child's face."

Namine pursed her lips, wondering what else they would ask him. She thought that she knew what was coming.

"Did she begin her period while at L'Académie?"

The physician looked right at Namine, and then back at the lawyer coolly. "No." he said simply, and Namine gaped. That was a downright lie. She remembered when she'd gotten it. She'd ran crying to one of the nurses, because she thought that she was bleeding for no reason, and the physician had told her to get out, and that she was disgusting. One of the other girls had to tell her what was going on, and let her borrow some of her stuff. That had been during her last year there. And, you had to write for permission for the Academy to give out 'monthly materials for ladies', as they called them. Where had _those_ stupid letters been kept?

Namine didn't really take much in as the physician talked. After the physician sat down, her old headmistress walked slowly up to the box, and sat down. She mostly talked about how untrustworthy Namine was, and how she was always causing trouble. Xion looked over at Namine occasionally, surprised at the past that she had never told anyone about.

After what seemed like a very long wait, and after the lawyers made their closing remarks, the judge talked with a doctor on hand, and they came up with a verdict.

"Through careful medical examination and circumstantial evidence, we have concluded that the girl, Namine, last name unknown, is now 14 years old." He said dully, and Namine felt as if stars had burst on the lines of her vision. She began to feel incredibly ill, and she held on to the table in front of her for support.

"The girl has been deemed not able to support herself until she is proven to be 18 years of age, which is in four years."

Namine tried not to cry, forcing herself to be strong. She couldn't be the little girl that she had been before. Suddenly, she jumped up, raising her hand in the air to get the judge's attention.

"May I ask anyone else if they want to adopt me?" She blurted out, and the judge chuckled. "You're getting ahead of yourself a little bit, aren't you?" he said jokingly, as if Namine wasn't the billionaire that she had been before. Now she was just a 14 year old child again.

"You have till tomorrow to get an adoption together. Until then you will both be in custody of a guard who will accompany you where you want to go. Otherwise, you will be sent to an orphanage. The meeting will be at 3 o'clock tomorrow."

Namine nodded aimlessly, and then suddenly became calm. "May I use the restroom?" She said, as tears streamed down her face, and the judge felt sorry for her. "Yes, yes, you may go."

Namine nodded, and walked slowly and deliberately out of the courtroom, with Xion looking at her curiously as she went. Namine made sure no one was following her, and the she rounded the corner to the bathroom. She went inside, and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the window. When she looked out of it, she noticed that she was 3 stories up. The window in the room below her was also open, and she thought that it would be better if she could just go in through that. Or, she could just attempt to get all the way to the bottom in one piece.

She breathed out, and then inched out the window, turning herself around slowly. Then, she lowered herself down, and let go of the window, landing on the window sill below her. She repeated these motions until she landed on the ground, and then panicked a little bit, noticing that she was in the King's garden. She groaned, and seriously contemplated hiding under a bush as long as she could manage, when she heard King Mickey's voice a few paces away from her.

"The hydrangeas are looking gorgeous, Minnie!"

"Well, the gardener's doing a very good job, Mickey!" His wife said affectionately, and Namine clenched her fists tightly, wondering what it was like to have someone that really loved you by your side. Then, there was silence, and the bush that she was hiding behind was thrown aside with surprising strength by King Mickey, who looked fierce and ready to attack. When he saw who it was that was hiding, he chuckled, and patted Namine on the shoulder.

"What are you doing back here, Namine?" He asked, and Namine shrugged, wondering what she would tell him. Then, she breathed out deeply, trying to relax.

"King Mickey?" she said sadly, and the King looked at her curiously. "I want you to take over the business I have going. I mean, rather, stop the payments." She said, and gulped. "Why?" King Mickey said, and she shook her head. "I'd rather not have my money taken from me, and especially by a man that I really do not like." She said shakily, and King Mickey pursed his lips. Then, Namine sighed.

"King Mickey? How did you make it with nothing?" she said hollowly and King Mickey sighed. "I had a lot of hope in my heart. And I was optimistic, too! And I tried to be very brave! That's the most important thing! You've got to be brave, or everything will go wrong for you!" He said. Then, he chuckled, reminiscing. "My old boss Pete still calls me the 'boat boy king'! It's funny to think how far I've come! If only I could make everything better for everyone here…" he added sadly, and Namine shrugged. "I'm sure things will come out alright in the end." He added. Though, Namine wasn't sure if she believed that herself.

Then, she nodded, and blushed. "Um, I was also wondering… if you could let me out?" She said sweetly, and King Mickey chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "Of course I can! But, I have to ask, how did you find your way into my garden?"

Namine shrugged. "Well, I came here from… the bathroom…" she said slowly, and King Mickey nodded, more confused than before. "I'm going to believe that you have a good reason for this!" he said somewhat suspiciously, and then led her to the gate. "Don't tell anyone that I was here! I don't want them to find out where I am!" Namine added, and then she knew immediately that she'd said too much. She knew King Mickey a little bit, but not enough that she could depend on him completely.

He let her out without a word, and Namine bolted down the road, her heart pounding fast. She got herself out of trouble once before, she just needed to figure out a way to do it again. She got on the train, knowing that Marluxia and the rest of the group would be looking for her by now. She hoped that they were just asking around the city. Then, to her horror, an announcement came on the intercom on the train to Twilight Town.

"There has been a missing girl reported in Disney City, someone has said they saw her purchasing a train ticket. If you see anyone with pale skin, blonde hair down to the shoulders, and blue eyes, in a white hoodie and a pair of jean shorts, please report them to a help desk so they can be returned to where they belong. Thank you." Namine quickly took off her hoodie, and grabbed a little boy's hat when he wasn't looking, and stuck it on her head. She threw the hoodie on the ground, and tried to keep her head down.

Things seemed to get worse when she got to the station in Twilight Town. There were cops all over the place, stopping random people and asking them questions; looking at their faces. Namine began to panic more and more, looking around desperately for an escape route that was not appearing. Then, she saw an emergency exit, and quickly slinked out of it, and legged it down to the old mansion.

She breathed out a huge sigh of relief, noticing that no one was there. They had not come yet. She ran up into it, tears running down her cheeks. Then, she went up into her old white room, and got all of her old drawings, stuffing them into a folder that she had, and packing them into a small backpack that Leon had given her a while back.

Then, she got her painting equipment together, and all of her things that she needed for college. She'd already payed off all of hers and Xion's college debts, so they would both be alright…

Then, Namine stopped, and dropped everything in horror. She had forgotten Xion. How could she have forgotten her? Namine dropped to the ground, holding her head in her hands. She soon realized that she probably wouldn't have been able to escape if she'd tried to bring Xion with her.

What on earth would she do? She looked around her old room; sighing with grief. She didn't want to leave Xion behind, but she would just get caught if she tried to get her. She held her papers close to her chest, and curled up into a ball, breathing in and out slowly to try and calm herself down. Then, suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder, yanking her backwards so all of the supplies in her arms spilled out everywhere. She looked up slowly, and gasped when she saw who it was. Marluxia.

"You're coming back with me!" He hissed, and grabbed her supplies from her. Namine screamed, and tried to get away, lashing out at him furiously, but Marluxia was too strong. "You will never be able to pick who adopts you now, because of what you've just done! But, to be honest, I was hoping that you'd do something like this." He added through gritted teeth, and Namine stopped struggling, panting and crying heavily.

"What is it that you want from me?" she sobbed, and Marluxia looked down at her body, and licked his lips. "I just want you to be mine!" he said darkly, and hoisted Namine up to her feet, leaning into her ear. "And if that means breaking you, I don't mind!" he added, and then closed his mouth, as if giving it a second thought. "But I don't want our relationship to start off like this!"

"Just promise that you won't hurt Xion!" Namine cried, and Marluxia looked at her in wonder. "I don't think _I'm _the one who needs to make any promises, Namine." He chuckled, and Namine shook her head. "I'll do whatever you want- just don't hurt anyone else! She had nothing to do with this! It was always just me, wasn't it?" She asked, and Marluxia pursed his lips, thinking about it seriously. Then, he smiled. "You won't ever try to run away?" Marluxia said softly, and Namine screamed inside. "No." she said hollowly, and Marluxia kissed her nose. "Fine, then. Xion isn't included in this. It's just you and me." he added, grinning lecherously. It made Namine's skin crawl.

Marluxia turned around as policemen started to file into the room. "She's been found?" They asked, and Marluxia nodded, pulling her forward so that the police could see her.

"Well, Marluxia, a few other people have filed to take care of Namine, but we've looked through their records, and you seem to be the most compatible with her, in terms of ability to support a child."

Marluxia grinned, and Namine gasped. "Who wanted to adopt me?" she asked, and the policeman shrugged. "I don't know. But there's more good news! You're good to support Xion, too!" he added, and Marluxia shook his head. "I think that she should be able to choose who she wants to take care of her. Namine and I know each other better than I do Xion. I wouldn't want her feeling uncomfortable."

The policeman nodded, and then beckoned for them both to come back out. They all drove back to Disney City in the police car, cruising through side streets and badly cobbled delivery roads.

As Namine looked out the window, she began to reflect on bits of her previous life, things that she'd never bothered to think about before.

She decided that it was time to remember.


	9. Memories

Namine sat on the floor of the make-up room, singing quietly to herself as her mother got ready to go on stage. The woman sighed, and then turned around to Namine, and smiled. Then, she hoisted the little girl up into the chair she had been sitting in herself, and turned her towards the mirror.

"See that little girl?" The woman sang softly, and Namine looked intently in the mirror at herself.

"She's going to be in one of my operas one day. She's going to be a beautiful little peasant, who becomes a queen. She'll marry a prince, just like her momma did." The woman cooed, and Namine looked up at her in awe. The woman beside her was beautiful, with sparkling pearls in her ears and around her neck, and a beautiful dress on her.

"When will I be the princess?" Namine asked brightly, with a slight lisp, and her mother laughed "When you learn to talk like one. Have you been practicing your words?"

Namine nodded vigorously, and breathed in deeply. "The fox rrrrrrrran down to the brrrrrrrrrrook, and went thrrrrrrrrrough the ssssssssssssssthwamp…" Namine tried, but she couldn't continue. "I lithped." She said through tears, and her mother patted her on the head. "It's alright dear. You have a lot of time to practice." Then, the woman took a deep breath herself, did a few voice exercises, and then prepared to go onstage.

Suddenly, there was a commotion outside, and the woman shooed Namine away, and the girl understood, crawling into a clothes closet nearby, and waiting to see what happened next. Then, two people barged in, a man and a woman, and Namine had to cover her mouth to keep from gasping. The woman looked just like her mother.

"Maria!" The woman said urgently, and Namine thought that she had a gorgeous voice. "You cannot do the opera! You have to back down tonight!"

Maria folded her arms over her chest, and pouted. "Why should I? Until I get a signed paper from the government, I won't even think about not going onstage! Who are you all anyway, that you think you have the right to barge in on me like this?"

The woman sighed heavily, and then the man stepped forward. "We may as well be honest with you. Someone is trying to kidnap you!" he barked, and Maria shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, it wouldn't have been the first time."

"Well, let's put it this way. People have tried before- but they've only tried. This guy is actually going to do it!" The woman said through gritted teeth, and Maria looked at her closely. "I can't just abandon my art! Not at a moment like this, at least. I just could never do that. I'm sorry."

The man scratched his head, and then snapped his fingers together, as if he had just thought of something brilliant. "Celes! You could be her!"

Celes looked at him with a dumbfounded expression, and then furrowed her eyebrows together uncertainly. "What?" she said slowly and the man sighed. "You look just like her! You sing well! We could do it! This could get us closer to Setzer!" he added quietly, and Celes pursed her lips.

"I don't know." She murmured, but the man kept imploring her and she eventually gave in. "Fine!" she snapped, and went over to Maria. "May I?" she said in embarrassment, and the man turned away as Celes changed into Maria's clothes. They did her hair, and in a few short minutes, she was ready to go on. The man beamed at her. "You look beautiful!" he said happily, and Celes laughed. Then, she went out the door with him, and a few minutes later, there was enormous applause.

Maria sighed heavily, obviously disappointed, and Namine crawled out from the costume closet and into her lap. She stroked her mother's hair and kissed her on the cheek, and Maria sang to her as she did.

"Are you sad momma?" Namine whispered, her lisp still invading into her words, and her mother nodded, continuing to rock her gently. "I just wish I was out there. I just hope they do my opera the way it's supposed to be. The way it was meant to be done." She whispered, and then, they sat in silence for a while, before there was another bit of commotion. Maria sat through it for a few minutes, but then she couldn't take it anymore, and put a robe on, and ran out the door, shooing Namine back into her hiding place as she went. When she came back in, she was sobbing.

Her attendant came in after her and sat her down, patting her face clean, and Maria howled into the woman's chest. Namine wanted very badly to go over and hug her mother, but she knew that that would mean that people would find out her mother's secret.

"They destroyed it! They butchered it and devoured it and spit it back up again!" Maria sobbed, and her attendant tried to fix up her hair. "Well, the audience had a grand old time, Miss Maria. They thought it was riveting. I just hope that poor girl was alright. That could have been you, you know."

Then, there was a knock on the door, and Maria gasped, and grabbed the little hanky that the attendant was using to wipe Maria's face out of the attendant's hand. She dabbed at her eyes, and tried to make herself presentable. Then, she called 'come in', and a very domineering man walked in, with a middle aged, solemn but beautiful looking woman. The couple did not look happy at all, but they held hands all the same, perhaps to keep up appearances. The man bowed deeply to Maria, and smiled at her, taking her hand in his and kissing it gently.

"Your opera today was… interesting." He said slowly, in a low, gravelly voice, and Maria blushed. "Well, thank you. It isn't usually that eccentric, but we decided to pull out all the stops today!"

The man chuckled, and put his hands in his pockets. Then, he looked up suddenly, and narrowed his eyes. "There is light in this room." He said in a low voice, and Namine heard her mother's tinkling laughter echo through the room. "I'm not sure what you mean, sir. I mean, of course there is light! It's needed for the make-up station."

The man shook his head, and proceeded to look around the room. "It is so controlled, yet so free." He said, and Maria tried not to roll her eyes. "You're a poet!" she tried, and the man looked up in surprise and then laughed. "Oh, no. I didn't mean the conventional form of light, like in a light bulb. I meant something different. I've been working on a substance with the opposite properties for a while now, I've been around it so much that I notice when there is a change. Maybe it is you." He added, and Maria blushed again. "Oh, you're just flattering me!" she giggled, and the man smiled wryly.

"You have a good heart." He commented, and Maria laughed again. Then, the man coughed, and presented the woman who had been standing silently beside him. She wore a deep green dress, and her long, dyed brown hair hung loosely and beautifully over her shoulders. Maria smiled at her. "Are you here with the family, or just on your own?" She said to both of them, and the man answered for the woman just as she was starting to open her mouth. "It's just the two of us."

Then, Maria nodded, and addressed the man's wife directly. "What brought you around here? Any sisters or brothers in the area?"

The woman shook her head gently, and smiled. "No. My sisters all live far away from here. This was just a treat for the two of us. Get out by ourselves for a little while." She added quietly, and her husband pursed his lips.

"You're probably the prettiest out of all of your sisters aren't you?" Maria said softly, and the woman finally smiled a little bit. "Well, I don't know about that… I'm no prettier than any other woman in the world." She concluded, and Maria laughed again, and held her hand. "You seem like you've seen a lot. I can relate to that. All you need to do is set your feet on the ground. Your own feet." she also said, and the woman smiled broadly this time, visibly thankful of this reassurance. Her husband did not look happy though. He snapped his fingers and his wife slowly, and almost as if it was painfully, trudged out the door in front of him. The man then turned around to Maria, and looked at her darkly.

"You'd want to be careful what you say these days. I hear that your government is growing less and less accommodating as each day passes."

Maria stood up tall and proud. "I wouldn't worry about it if I were you. The government subsidizes our performances very well, and I am a star. A people would not forget their culture, their art."

The man chuckled, looked around once more, and left the room abruptly. The minute he was gone, Namine crawled out of her hiding space once again and back over to her mother, who looked worried.

"Are you sad?" She asked again, and her mother sighed. "I think I'm just a bit afraid now." She sighed, and smoothed her hair out, smiling down at her daughter. "Are you ready to go home, cherub?" she cooed, kissing Namine's forehead, and the little girl nodded vigorously. "Then let's go." Maria said with excitement, and the two ran out the back door and into a little car, pulling out before anyone could see them go.

…

Namine stood in front of her mother's gravestone with tears in her eyes. The sky churned black above her, and the man standing a few inches away from her tapped his foot aimlessly. Then, suddenly, as if on a whim, he grabbed her roughly by the arm, and hauled her away.

"No!" Namine tried to shout, but the man slapped her in the face before she could say anything else. "Shut up." He growled, and wiped at his own eyes roughly, refusing to look at the little girl he was dragging along behind him. Namine cried silently as they walked back to their apartment in a hurry.

It had been almost two years since the fiasco at the opera house. A few short months after that happened, the Opera House closed down, and Maria could not find any work. Contrary to her fervent belief, the people did forget their celebrity, and the two girls scrounged around for what money they could, constantly running into huge signs with pictures of their new ruler on the front of them. Half a year later, Kefka Palazzo was defeated, and their old broken empire was trying to rebuild itself into a republic. It still wasn't safe or healthy; the land was in a horrific depression, and the crime had skyrocketed.

"Aw, fuck." The man beside her muttered under his breath, and went over to the man that was pasting the eviction notice on their front door.

"What the fuck is this?" He called out to the landlord, who turned around fearfully. "Time's up, Mr. Draco." He piped up, and then shrugged. "I can't give you any more chances. It wouldn't be fair."

"Just give me one more day." Draco growled, and the landlord seemed like he was about to protest, but then he sighed. "Fine, one more day, and then you're out. Unless you come up with a way to pay off your debts."

Draco looked down at Namine, examining her, and then looked back up at the landlord. "Alright." He growled, and then shoved the little girl forward into the apartment building. After he closed the door, he beckoned for Namine to come closer to him. When she wouldn't, he grabbed her, and started to look closely at her arms, her legs, her face, until he had examined all of her. "Hm." He said slowly, and then smiled. "You're pretty. Skinny, but always beautiful. You'd get a nice price." He added, and Namine shivered.

The man sat back, and closed his eyes in internal agony. "You know the first time your mother and I met was on that Maria and Draco set. 'The two famous opera personalities together at last' is what they advertised. We fell in love the minute we saw each other." He wetted his lips, and continued. "After she had you, ah we were so nervous. You were a big secret- you still are. And if you aren't a secret anymore, nobody would care anymore anyway. We've all outlived our time in the limelight…" The man wiped tears out of his eyes, and then sniffed. "I should've been there for her more. I was too busy trying to find work. I didn't know that she'd had to fuck for money… if I'd known that I would have tried to be there… I wouldn't have been so messed up if she were still here… I feel like I'm in the ground with her already…" he said softly, and then his eyes glazed over.

"Namine." He whispered, and the little girl crawled over to him in fear. "Sing to me." he murmured, and pulled her close to him, caressing her and kissing her neck. Namine sang to him as they rocked back and forth, and he trailed his hands up and down her back, before squeezing her to himself hard. Then, he pushed her away.

"I need you to go get some soda for us." He said softly, giving Namine a little bit of money, and Namine nodded in excitement. Soda was a huge treat. "A soda and sake" he added as Namine burst out the front door. She ran down to the store, jumping and skipping, laughing and laughing. She wondered why he'd hugged her so hard.

Their once large local grocery store had burned down a year ago, and had given way to countless street vendors. There were no prices on anything anymore, there was just bargaining. Namine beamed up at the soda vendor, who looked down at her with tired eyes and a fake smile. "One gil." He gushed in his best salesman voice, and Namine carefully set down the little coin in her hand, wiping the dirt from her pocket off of it. The man looked up at her in curiosity, and then seemed to put whatever he was thinking out of mind. He handed her a cold soda, and Namine looked down at it longingly, watching the cold water from the ice chest trickle down the sides of the bottle in her hand.

The alcohol 'stand' was actually its own building- unfortunately, with the rising depression, alcoholic drinks had still not gone out of fashion. If anything, they were more prized than ever, and alcohol vendors were some of the richest people in the neighborhood. But, it was still not a nice place to be. She went into the building shyly, and asked for a sake, and as soon as she got it, she put down some money, and then hurried off.

Namine ran back home breathlessly with the two drinks in her hands, smiling broadly. She opened the door slowly, wanting to surprise Draco, but when she came in, there was no answer. "Draco?" she whispered, peeking into the small living room. Something smelled very strange, and her heart began to beat very fast as she stepped into the room. There were splatters of blood on the walls around the chair that Draco used to sit in with Maria- they'd sung together in it. Then, she noticed his left hand resting on one of the arms of the chair, and her eyes trailed up to his shoulder. Namine poked his blood splattered shoulder in fear, and felt his head slump to the side a little bit.

Breathing shallowly, she poked her head around the side of the chair, and reeled back in horror at what she saw. There was a huge, bloody crater where Draco's forehead used to be, and the blood from inside his head had seeped out of his eyes like tears. His left eye was collapsing a little bit, and his mouth was formed into a disturbing grimace.

Namine gulped back anything that was coming back up her throat, and ran out of the house, screaming as loudly as she could. She ran over to the landlord's house, and banged on the door, helpless. The man came out and gave her a good slap. "You'll disturb the neighbors!" he hissed, and grabbed her face in his hands. "Now what is the matter?" he said, hurting her cheeks. "De houd" Namine tried to say and the man looked around at the apartment. Then, he led her back inside, and the landlord looked around, until he saw Draco.

"Fucking hell!" he whispered to himself, and then absentmindedly patted Namine on the head, as if he regretted hitting her before.

Then, he called the police, and after they arrived on the scene, they interrogated him and Namine. When they pulled up Namine's birth certificate on one of their computers, they sucked in a deep breath.

"Damn." One of the cops said, shaking his head. "Happy 6th birthday, kid." He added sarcastically, and shut the laptop.

Namine was converted into a small orphanage in the neighboring village, Jazzo, the next day.

….

When Namine dreamed, it always started in a forest, gorgeous, huge, with trees towering up high into the sky. This time, there was a humming that resounded through the whole picture, and she tried to search around for the source of the sound. When she finally located the sound, she stepped into a small grove, and saw a woman sitting with a tiny little girl in her lap, singing opera. The little girl was asleep, and her blonde hair fell messily over her pale skin. Namine wanted to go over to them, and sit with them, but the closer she tried to get, the farther they were away. Then, there was thunder, over and over again, and the once clear sky up above turned black. When she looked at the woman in front of her, she was looking directly at Namine, and her eyes were clear. She mouthed one word to Namine, and then closed her eyes.

Namine awoke to a rapping on her desk, and she jumped in her seat when the ruler fell in front of her. When she looked up, her teacher, Mr. Frank, was staring down at her callously. "Naughty, naughty." He said grandly, and pointed to the front of the classroom. Namine lowered her head, and trudged up to the front, trying her best not to shed any tears.

"Remember if you show any emotion it will only last longer." He drawled, and located a harder wooded ruler from his desk. It was the splintered one that everyone hated.

"Turn around and bend over." The man said with poorly masked delight, and Namine gulped back tears, bending so that her underwear was ever so slightly exposed.

Then, the man wrapped her hard on the top of her thighs, over and over again, and Namine bit her lip to try to keep from crying, but eventually, the tears came anyway. When the man got to thirty wraps, he turned her back around and examined her tear stained face. Then, he tutted, and made her repeat her previous motions, wrapping her thighs another thirty times.

"You may sit down. And I implore you not to fall asleep again in my class, or we will have to see about putting you in the thinking box again."

All the girls at the Academy called the 'thinking box' the coffin; because they figured that was what being buried felt like. It was an old, damp little cellar that was the size of a supply closet; a misbehaved girl spent the night there to 'think over what she'd done'. Namine had spent the previous night in it for singing loudly in the bath, and trying to reason with the teacher who had hit her for it. She couldn't sleep at all, so she couldn't help but fall asleep in class.

Without thinking, Namine glared up at Mr. Franks, who held her chin in his hand fondly. "Go to the headmistress. And I'll see you after class." He breathed, and Namine gulped, and limped out of the room, her thighs stinging from the ruler.

When she entered the headmistress's office, she sat down gingerly in the chair in front of the woman's desk, and waited for the reprimanding. The woman sighed, and looked at her sternly. Then, the headmistress cleared her throat, and spoke.

"Mr. Franks gave me a call as you were dawdling your way up here. That will be a misdemeanor; loitering in the halls, avoiding punishment." She said, scribbling something in the notebook she kept in front of her. "I remember years ago, when you were just nine years old, and you came to us because of your exceptional perception and intelligence. We thought that we could make you into a lady. We thought that we could help you to transcend your previous existence, suicide in your miserable family having tainted you already, being sent to that horrific orphanage in the poor Jazzo, a city in your previous region, torn apart by a civil war. But no matter how many times you are whipped, and closeted, and reprimanded, you continue to cause trouble. I wonder if you will ever change." She said harshly, and Namine looked out the window as she talked. The view of Eden was gorgeous from her windows.

"Look at me you little bitch!" The headmistress snarled, and hurried over and grabbed Namine's chin in her hands. "You look at me when I am speaking to you!" she snapped, and slapped Namine hard across the face. Then, she turned away, and readjusted her shirt. "Are you sorry?" She said, and Namine didn't answer. She wouldn't cry this time. "You say you're sorry! You show me that you are sorry!" the woman bellowed, and stormed back at Namine, who tried to kick at the headmistress as she slapped her over and over. The woman grabbed the name holder on her desk, and hit Namine with it again and again, in a rage, until the little girl cried. "I'm sorry." Namine whispered, and the woman hit her again.

"Louder!" she snapped, and Namine nodded. "I'm sorry!" Namine shouted, and the woman slapped her across the face again in anger. Just then, the bell rang, telling them that class was over. The headmistress tried to smooth out her hair once more, and glared at Namine, who was huddled into herself on the ground.

"You make me so angry, you little witch!" the headmistress snarled. "There is something about you that I don't like! I think you were born with it. You have power over people- an evil power. I think you have the devil in you!" the woman sneered, and Namine looked up in horror. The headmistress looked out the window in bottled rage. "That's why all of your male teachers look at you the way they do. You little succubus. That's why even though I know that you are the one in the wrong, I feel guilty after I give you what you deserve." She snarled, and Namine was taken aback. She'd never realized how much her male teachers paid attention to her.

"I just don't know what to do with you anymore. This is your last year here. You're going to be twelve in a few months, and you'd better start acting like it. Or else I'll make sure you never have the prim life that you have been searching for for so long. I'll make sure of it."

Namine looked down at her battered little hands, and had the revelation that she really did not care that much what the woman in front of her did to her. It couldn't be much worse than what was being done already.

"Get out of my office. If I see you in here again, you will never leave this building." She added, and Namine felt chills go up her spine. She hurried out of the room as fast as she could, and limped back down the hallway.

Then, she went over to her bed, and searched under the mattress for the old milk aloe leaves that soothed broken skin. When broiled in water, they melted. Namine hauled a small basin over into the bathroom with her, and poured hot water into it. Then, she watched as the leaves melted into it. When she was sure it was okay to get in, she lowered herself into it, and sighed in relief as the liquid touched her scorched thighs. She took some of the water and rubbed it against her cheeks, breathing out in relief as the stinging went away.

When Namine used this, she never blistered. That had been one of the reasons that teachers got mad at her. She always looked like she'd recovered well from slaps. Of course, it didn't stop bruises, though. When she was finished with her bath, she got ready to go up to Mr. Frank's office. She should have been going to dinner, but she didn't want to sit at the table with all those other girls.

Namine wandered the halls for a little while, looking at the view of the city out the window. She wondered what would happen if she did try to escape. She heard that there was a sea separating Pulse from the Planet, or Gaia as they called it in her region. She didn't know how she would get across a sea without any money. As she thought about flying over the ocean, she smiled, and heard a chuckle behind her. When she whizzed around, she saw that it was Mr. Frank.

"What are you doing up here during dinner, Namine?" Mr. Frank said, and Namine shrugged in discomfort. Then, the man chuckled again, looking her up and down. "As I was walking to the teacher's dining room, I saw you" he seemed to reason. "I thought that maybe we could have our little 'after school meeting' right now." He added, and Namine shuffled her feet in anxiety. At dinner time, the classroom area was barren. If she went into the classroom with Mr. Frank, they would be the only ones there. But, she didn't want to get in trouble again, so she went with him against her conscience. He tried to make small talk as they traveled up to the classroom, and Namine wondered why he was talking to her like this when a little while ago he had taken pleasure in hurting her.

"Here we are." Mr. Frank said, and held the door open to the classroom. Namine stood and stared at him for a moment, not wanting to go in, and she noticed his smile fading as she did not cooperate. "Did you not here what I said?" he sneered through gritted teeth and Namine put her head down, trudging into the classroom with him following her. She felt him touch her back lightly, and she picked up the pace, hurrying into the classroom and sitting down by the window. She didn't expect him to come sit down right in front of her, but he did, and she felt the worry rising in her throat. But she didn't want to cry in front of him again.

"Namine, I think that you are a very smart girl, you just waste your time daydreaming and wandering around. That's why you get in trouble." He explained, and Namine shut her lips tight, and stared out the window again. "Are you listening?" he whispered softly, and suddenly, he reached out his hand to touch Namine's face, and the girl reeled back in fear. At this, he held both sides of Namine's face in his hands, and smiled at her, chuckling. "Namine, calm down. I'm not going to hurt you unless you misbehave. I just want to talk to you. Make you understand the way things are."

Namine looked down at her hands, fully aware that Mr. Frank had not removed his hands from her face. He stroked her cheek fondly, and sighed. "When you get out into the real world Namine, it's not going to be anywhere near as easy as it has been for you so far. If you don't have fun now, when are you going to find the time to have it again? If you don't form stable contacts right now, who will be there for you when you're out on your own?"

Namine continued to stare out the window, hoping against hope that he would leave her alone.

"But, in any case, I would just like you to know that I want to help you, in that respect at least." Mr. Frank finished, beaming down at her, and Namine looked up at him blankly. "What do you mean?" she asked dully, and Mr. Frank sighed.

"I know that you've been spending your summers in the girl's dorms so far, but I want to change that, get you out into the world around you. This summer we're doing a tour of The Planet, the region beside us." He explained, and Namine began to brighten up a little bit. "Where will you be going?" Namine asked in curiosity, and Mr. Frank sighed, scratching his chin.

"Well, we'll be going to Chocobo Farm, Icicle Inn, the Temple of the Ancients, Wutai, the City of the Ancients, Bone Village, and Nibelheim. I think that that's all of them. It's going to be very interesting."

"I don't have the money to go." Namine said, and she thought that she knew what Mr. Frank's answer was going to be. "I'll pay for it, Namine. I want you to be able to enjoy what all the other girls in your class are enjoying."

"Who is going?" Namine asked, and Mr. Frank sighed again. "All the girls going into 7th, 8th, and 9th year next year. Like I said, it's going to be a huge opportunity for you."

As Namine thought about the trip, her heart began to beat faster. "All I ask is a little bit of appreciation." Mr. Frank said lewdly, and Namine looked up in surprise. Mr. Frank was standing above her, and she looked away in discomfort, swinging her legs back and forth. He stopped her legs abruptly, and squeezed her knees, and Namine shivered a little bit. "Is it a yes?" Mr. Frank murmured, and Namine looked out the window again. "Yes. That would be lovely." She said hollowly, and Mr. Frank smiled again, patting her on the back. "Great. That makes me very happy."

Then, he picked her up off the desk, and walked her back out of the classroom with him. As they walked down the hall together, he smiled at her. "See? That wasn't so bad, was it?" And Namine nodded absentmindedly. "I only wanted to help." Mr. Frank said quietly, and Namine thought about it. Even if he _did _genuinely want to help her, he still figured he'd be getting something out of it. Could that still be counted?

…

Namine sat quietly on the bus in Midgar, looking out the window at the huge expanse of buildings sprawled out in front of her. It was a last minute addition to the trip; they were going to visit the new museum there, stay in a hotel for the night, and then drive into Nibelheim the next day to catch a plane back to Cocoon, and the Academy. Namine's heart sank at the thought of having to go back to the place that she hated the most. Even though all the adults around her agreed that it was the 'best environment' for her to be in, she thought differently. She'd never felt more trapped in her life.

Suddenly, she felt a tap on her shoulders, and when she jumped, she heard a chuckle behind her.

"Are you coming or not, Namine?" Mr. Frank said from behind her, and Namine nodded slowly, standing up. They both left the bus together, and then Mr. Frank congregated with the other teachers to organize name tags and tickets to get into the museum. When the teachers had handed out all the materials, Mr. Frank beckoned for everyone to follow him into the museum. "Remember ladies, etiquette." He added, and a polite peal of laughter rang up through the crowd of girls that Namine decided not to join into.

When they entered the museum, Namine's face lit up, and she looked at all the art around her with wide eyes. She'd never seen anything like the paintings in this place. Each section spanned a different time period in the region's history, and Namine wandered through the sections without bothering to follow the rest of the group, exploring by herself the wonders of the place around her. When she got to the Ancient art section, she sat down on the floor, and admired the view around her.

Then, there were footsteps, and Namine's heart sank when she saw who came in. It was Mr. Frank. "There you are." He sighed, and went and sat down beside Namine, who scooted over uncomfortably. Mr. Frank looked up and around, breathing in deeply.

"You like this one the best?" he murmured, and Namine nodded. Mr. Frank smiled. "How did you like the Temple of the Ancients?" Namine smiled at this, folded her left hand over her right, remembering.

"I liked that one." She said, and Mr. Frank looked around him. "You know, they say that the Temple of the Ancients gives you something if you're not looking for it. Were you looking for something?" He added, and Namine shook her head. "Then you probably got something. Do you feel any different now?"

Namine shook her head. "No."

"Did you get scared in there? I heard that you got a little lost at one point."

Namine looked up at this, remembering how dark it was inside the caverns of the Temple. "Yes. I didn't mean to. I looked around and everyone was gone."

Mr. Frank chuckled, and patted Namine's thigh. "It's a blessing that you have a good sense of direction. You're able to do a lot of things all on your own, aren't you?" he said quietly, looking at her out of the corner of his eye. "But you don't let on. You look so fragile. But I think that's not what you're like on the inside." He chuckled, and Namine began to tense up in fear.

"Are you enjoying your trip?" He said suddenly, and Namine nodded with uncertainty.

Mr. Frank was quiet for a moment. Then, all at once he grabbed Namine in his arms, pulled her into his lap, and tried to kiss her. Namine shouted out in protest, but Mr. Frank clamped his hand over her mouth. "Don't you dare scream Namine, not after everything I've given to you." He growled, and Namine bit down on his fingers as hard as she could, and kicked him in the groin. He grunted, and loosened his grip on her, and as he did, Namine bolted out of his arms, and tried to open her mouth to scream again, but she felt a sharp pain on the back of her head, and crumpled to the ground. Then, Mr. Frank yanked her up by her hair, and held her chin close to his face tightly in his hand.

"Who the hell do you think you are you little bitch?" He snarled at her, shaking her. Namine stared at him in fear, and tried to kick him again, but he slapped her legs hard, and held them close to him so she couldn't move them. "I have given you more than you could have ever imagined before! This is what I have been trying to tell you! If you get something, you've got to give back!"

Namine blinked back tears, and Mr. Frank's face softened a little bit. "If you promise not to scream, I won't hurt you." He murmured, and Namine shut her eyes tightly, shaking. Mr. Frank set her on the ground in front of him, and then bent down in front of her, kissing under her jaw and around her collar bone. When he started to move his hand up under her shirt, Namine tried to push him away from her, but he grabbed her arms.

"Wait!" she said suddenly, and Mr. Frank stopped, and waited for her to speak. Namine tried to think fast, and she took a deep breath. "Please let go of my hands." She whispered, and Mr. Frank narrowed his eyes at her, and let go of her arms reluctantly. Then, Namine shakily stroked the sides of his face, and he seemed to relax, and sat back. "I don't want it in here." Namine tried, and Mr. Frank pursed his lips, and sighed. "I can't wait any longer, Namine. I've got to have you." He murmured, and began to kiss her neck again.

"Can't you wait until tonight?" Namine said quickly, and Mr. Frank pulled back again in surprise. "Can't I spend the night in your room?" Namine added, and Mr. Frank looked at her closely to see if she was serious. "What makes you so sure of yourself now, flower?" Mr. Frank said lowly, and Namine shrugged. "Maybe I just understand now." She said serenely, and tried not to let the shaking invade her voice again. Mr. Frank seemed pleased, though, and let her go, getting up in a rather good mood. He patted her back fondly, and smiled down at her. "Well, shall we see the rest of the museum with everyone else?" He asked brightly, and Namine nodded, trying to smile.

As Mr. Frank began to walk out of the section, Namine ran up behind him, and took hold of his hand. For a moment, he looked back in surprise, but then he held onto her hand more tightly, relaxing completely. For the rest of the time, they walked around like that. They didn't hold hands, but they always stayed very close to one another, but close to everyone else, too. Then, when the museum secretary came on the intercom to tell everyone that the museum would be closing in an hour, Mr. Frank tapped Namine on the shoulder, and slipped a large sum of money into her pocket.

"What's that for?" Namine asked in slight alarm, looking down at the amount that the man had put in her hands. "I want you to go into the souvenir shop and buy yourself something."

"I couldn't take this much from you." Namine gushed, getting upset. She still didn't know what to do. She didn't want to spend the night anywhere near Mr. Frank. But, he patted her on the shoulder, and sent her in. "I insist. I like you. I want you to get something for yourself." He called after her, and she went in. She looked around, holding the money tightly in her little hands that were shaking so badly, wondering what she could do. Suddenly, a group of girls peeled past her, and into the shop, knocking her to the side, and her money fell out of her hand. As she bent to pick it up, her hands went cold, and she noticed that on the other side of the souvenir shop, there was an exit into a different section of the museum. Slowly, she crawled over to the other side of the shop, and crawled out the door. She didn't dare stand up until she was sure that Mr. Frank would not be able to see her, and then, she bolted as far away from the souvenir shop as she could, and eventually came to an unguarded fire exit, and slipped out of it, and into the car park outside the museum. She frantically ran across it as fast as she could, refusing to look behind her even for a second.

The time ticked by in the museum as Mr. Frank waited for Namine to come out. Then, the secretary on the intercom came on again, warning everyone that the museum would now be closing in thirty minutes. Mr. Frank decided to go into museum shop to see how Namine was doing, but as he looked around the small store, he got more and more anxious, wondering where she had gone. Then, as he looked to the exit on the opposite side of the shop, it clicked with him. He ran out of it, and over to a security guard.

"Have you seen a little blond girl with blue eyes? She's twelve years old and she's run off on me. I'm her teacher." He said nervously, and the security guard shook his head. "I think I saw her running down that hall, but I could be wrong. I'll call it in to the secretary, and we can pull up all the cameras in the museum to see if she's left the building.

Ten minutes later, the secretary warned everyone that the museum would be closing in twenty minutes, and that a twelve year old girl with blond hair, pale skin, and blue eyes had gone missing, and asked that anyone with information please report it to the front desk. Five minutes after _that, _the police began to search through Midgar, upon receiving information that the security tapes from the museum did show the young girl running through the parking lot. Everyone assured the Academy teachers and principal that the girl would indeed be returned, and that they would find her. But by that time, the sun had begun to go down.

…..

Namine walked aimlessly through the city before her, trying to think of what to do next. It was getting very dark, and she'd known from years of living with Maria and Draco, and then in Jazzo, that a young girl like her out at night was an easy target. She tried to stay in crowded areas, but before she knew it, she was wandering through a bad part of town, and she felt uneasy around all the people that were there.

Then, she bumped into someone, and sucked in a deep breath, expecting the worst.

"Hey, what're you doing around here? This is my side of the street!" a woman's voice sneered at her, and Namine looked up with teary eyes, and reeled back in surprise. The woman in front of her had flowing pink hair, blue mascara and lipstick, a short blue PVC dress, and pink high heels. Namine blinked up at her in wonder, and then remembered where she was. "I don't know where I am. I'm lost." Namine whispered in fright, and the woman's features softened. "Well, _this _is a terrible place for a girl like you to get lost in." she said confidentially, and then bent down close to Namine. "Are you a working girl?" she whispered, and Namine shook her head, not quite sure what the woman meant.

"Well, then. I wanna tell you a little story. It's common around here. There was a little girl who came around here, lost like you, ran away from home to be a star or something, and she ran into the body snatchers."

"Body snatchers?" Namine questioned, furrowing her eyebrows, and the woman nodded. "That's what they call them around here. She ran into them, and a few days later, she was sharing a street with another girl. And eventually she got her own street. She became one of us. She wasn't given a choice. The pimps around here are bastards. I got a decent one though, well, one of the closest to decent you'll get around here…" She muttered, looking around uncomfortably. "Look, we get commission for bringing new girls in. I won't do that, though. Just get yourself out of here, hide in one of the trash cans in the alley until the morning, then use the alley ways to get back into the nice part of town again, okay? There's not much else I can tell you." She added, and then froze. "Get away from me." she said suddenly, and Namine noticed a few suited men scanning the area discreetly. Namine nodded, and didn't look back as she ran away.

After a short time, she heard heavy footsteps behind her, and she began to pick up the pace, turning a corner and jumping down stairs, into an alley filled with dumpsters. Namine looked around, and noticed that underneath one of the dumpsters, there was a space big enough for a human to fit into. Then, she noticed that underneath it, there was a large, metal storm drain that's top had been unscrewed, and left carelessly to the side of the hole it had originally been placed over.

Namine looked around, and then crawled underneath the dumpster, trying her best to ignore the rats that were swarming around it. Then, she lowered herself into the storm drain, and put the metal top back over it. It was extremely dark, but she could hear the sounds of rats around her feet.

The footsteps she'd heard before returned, and Namine tried to keep as quiet as she could, pursing her lips so that she would not breathe too loudly.

"Ah, I'm sure she's here. She'd pick the place that was hardest for us to look."

"You think a cute girl like that would hide in a dumpster? She had some fancy school uniform on her."

"We've got to get her. Double commission for a girl like that."

"I know. Let's start looking."

Then, the sounds of trash cans being turned over, and dumpsters rummaged through resounded throughout the whole alley, and it went on for almost an hour, before the men stopped.

"Dammit! She's not here." One growled, and Namine heard the other one sigh.

"I saw her come down this way. She couldn't have been that fast. This would have been a perfect place to hide."

"Well, she's not here. Let's look somewhere else."

"Wait, what about underneath the dumpsters?" The other guy said suddenly, as if it was a revelation, and his companion chuckled. "I don't think so."

"Why don't we check anyway?" the other man said, and Namine plastered herself against the front wall of the drain, cringing in fear as the flashlight passed over the back wall. He would have seen her if she hadn't moved. Then, Namine froze, as she thought she saw something moving behind her. She smelled something horribly familiar. Images of Draco when Namine found him flashed into her mind, and she identified what the smell was. Blood.

Namine took in a deep breath, in order to scream, but she felt a large hand close over her mouth, and tears began to stream down her face. The person behind her held their hand over her mouth, completely silent, until the two men finally decided to leave.

"Dammit. I thought…"

"Yeah, like I said before, she's not here. Let's go."

"She would've been prize."

"I know."

The two men trudged off back out of the alley way, and Namine felt the hand over her mouth release its grip. Namine fell forward, dizzy with fear, and looked back to see who was behind her. The smallest fragment of moonlight was shining on the back of the wall of the drain, and she could make out the outline of a man. Then, a light turned on, and Namine winced, adjusting to the light. It was a small flashlight, held by a tall, tan man with long silver hair that fell messily over his back.

He looked at Namine closely for a moment, but then crumpled over into a heap on the dank floor of the drain, and coughed up blood. Namine instinctively rushed over to him, and set him back up against the wall, trying to see where he had been hurt.

At first, he gripped the flashlight tightly, as if he didn't want to let it go, but then, as Namine began to coax it out of him, he slowly acquiesced, loosening his grip on the light so that Namine could slide it out of his fingers. When she pointed it down at his shirt, she noticed that there were three areas where the blood was coming from; his stomach, chest, and the right side of his rib cage. Then, she unbuttoned his shirt, trying to stop the bleeding.

"What happened to you?" she said, half to herself, but the man responded in a guttural tone.

"I was shot." He said dully, and Namine blinked back the tears that were threatening to appear again.

"Why would someone do this to you?" Namine said sadly, and the man chuckled. "That's really none of your business."

Namine nodded at this, and the idea came to her that speaking with a man between life and death like this was not the best thing to do.

"You should stop talking. Maybe I can go up and get some help. I could call an ambulance at a pay phone." She tried, but the man shook his head.

"I'm dying. I'll be dead in perhaps, ten minutes at the most. My body's shutting down." He added, and his breathing became shallower. He shook his head, as if battling with something in his head, and then he began to talk, his eyes going out of focus, as if he was in a dream.

"I didn't care if I got caught. It- I knew it was going to hap- I just wanted to know… wanted to impress my father… didn't think he would- _kill _me for it… no one deserves _that _much power… not after he- he _used _me the way he did… not after he made me help create that- that _monster _of his…" The man rambled on, looking frantically back and forth, and Namine took the moment to pull him back into the present.

"Who killed you?" she asked seriously, and the man looked at her closely for the first time, and smiled grotesquely. "My daddy. Xehanort Sr." he croaked, coughing at the end of the statement, and Namine took a deep breath. "Who are you?" She said gently, and the man looked up through the storm drain.

"I am Xehanort, Master Xehanort's son. I helped facilitate the creation of a race of monsters for my father. I did _my _job, but- the whole thing was never completed… I never found the antidote…" he chuckled, and then he looked at Namine strangely, and suddenly grabbed her face, pulling it closer to his. He examined her closely, and then the sides of his mouth turned up into a huge grin.

"You have a heart of pure light. A light that has the ability to coexist with pure darkness instead of destroying it… you're the antidote." He said in a low voice, and as his hands fell back a little bit, he kept his eyes trained closely on Namine's. "If I'd had more time… I would've liked to experiment on you, too."

Then, he crumpled over, and Namine watched as his breathing became shallower and shallower, until his eyes finally glazed over, and he fell silent. A pool of blood had formed around him, and it was seeping dangerously close to Namine.

She looked down at herself, and gasped when she noticed that she had gotten blood all over her dress. It sickened her to think about it, and she tried to cover her nose so that she wouldn't have to smell it.

As the night wore on, she heard the sounds of people walking through the alleyway, laughing, shouting, and silent footsteps that seemed to search for something, but they never came too close to her. She went deeper into the drain just in case and stayed curled up there, unable to shut her eyes for more than a second. She had to shoo the rats in the drain away from the body numerous times throughout the night.

When the morning came, Namine stood up, and tried to stretch out, but she was shaking so bad that she could hardly move. The man crumpled a few feet away from her looked forward with cold eyes, and his jaw hung open. Namine felt sorry for him, but it took all of her inner strength to move close to him. The cool dampness of the drain kept him from smelling too bad, and Namine clamped her mouth shut, and tried not to breathe when she was near to him as she lowered him onto the ground, and folded his arms over his chest. Then, she took a few coins from her pockets, and set them over his eyes so they would stay closed, and she ripped some fabric off of her shirt, and used it to tie around his head, so his jaw would stay shut.

After she'd done all this, she stepped away from him, as far as she could, and breathed in and out, getting shivers. When she glanced back at the body again, she burst into tears, and sobbed heavily as she looked at the body in front of her. She wondered what the man had done to make his father wish this kind of death on him, his own son. Suddenly, the air in the place began to drop in temperature, and Namine felt chills travelling up and down her spine. She tried not to hyperventilate, pushed the top off of the drain, climbed out of it, and then wriggled out from underneath the dumpster, back into the sunlight. She set the top back on the drain and absentmindedly waved at it. Then, she hurried off, her heart beating fast.

As she silently moved through the backstreets of the town, miraculously not running into anyone, she came out onto a huge truck yard, and hid behind a pile of grain that was marked for Nibelheim. When she found which truck the grain was being loaded on, she scurried over to it, and made her way to the back of it while the loaders stopped to have a small conversation. After about two hours of loading, the door was shut, and the truck began to move forward. As the day dragged on, the inside of the truck became hotter and hotter, and Namine was struggling to keep awake with the heat. Thankfully, the air cooled as they made their way to Nibelheim, and Namine's breathing became easier. But, she was becoming dizzy with dehydration, and she felt claustrophobic among all the grain.

What seemed like an eternity passed by in that truck, and finally, the door was opened, and the grain was unloaded. Namine again waited for a break in the unloading, and then ran over to another truck, this time headed for a place called "The City That Never Was". This one was almost finished loading, and Namine jumped in just as the loaders were turning back around to close it up. Thankfully, the loaders didn't even look in her direction, and the truck started to head off before the commotion started.

One of the loaders from the truck heading to The City That Never Was started to light a cigarette, when another loader ran up to him.

"What is it?" the man said, taking a drag out of the cigarette, and the younger man who ran up to him looked up in worried confusion. "There was blood on some of the grain that was just dropped off here."

The man with the cigarette looked at him closely, and then put his fingers to his mouth, and whistled loudly so that everyone near him would listen. When they all came over, the man addressed them seriously. "Stop all the trucks going out. We're doing the routine checkup early. We don't want hobos riding on our grain truck. See this?" he said, holding up a blood spotted grain bag the other man had given to him as evidence, and then throwing it on the ground again. "This is useless now! We've lost money. Get this reprobate taken care of, shall we?" The men around him nodded, and began to inspect the trucks in the yard. But by then, Namine was on her way to the City That Never Was.

….

There were a shortage of candles in The Orphanage That Never Was, so instead of a conventional candle, Namine's was in the outline of the number '6', though she was just turning thirteen years old. The owner had made a little cupcake for her, and she carefully stuck the candle in the middle of it, and had everyone sing happy birthday to Namine as she lit the candle, and slowly brought it out to the birthday girl. Namine fidgeted in her seat in excitement, smiling broadly. This birthday was, she thought, the best one in her life.

Everyone cheered when she blew the candle out, and they all looked at the owner again in anticipation as Namine ate her cake with care. The owner brought out a tiny package, and handed it to Namine, who looked at it dumbly, not exactly knowing what it was for.

"It's a birthday present, dummy! Open it!" One of the girls blurted out, and Namine nodded vigorously, opening the package with shaking hands. Inside it was an old box of crayons, and Namine hugged them to herself with glee.

"Aren't you going to draw us a picture with them?" The owner asked, and Namine nodded again, pulling out a piece of paper that was underneath the crayons, and began to draw a picture of the owner and all the kids in the orphanage.

After she'd finished it, everyone cheered again, and the owner hung it up on the wall. Then, she told everyone to get ready for bed. As Namine lay in bed, she imagined herself as a world renowned artist, painting beautiful pictures for very famous people. She sighed in delight, and then closed her eyes and drifted off.

When she woke up the next morning, she got dressed and ready with everyone else, but then, she sat on her bed, and took out her crayons, quietly drawing picture after picture, trying to fit it all onto the small piece of paper in front of her. She heard a bit of a commotion in the front hall, and then the owner came in with a tall, pink haired man whose eyes were trained intently on Namine. Without invitation, he went over and sat down beside Namine, looking at her drawing.

"That's good." He commented, and Namine blushed a little bit. "I like to draw." She said quietly, and the pink haired man took her hand in his, stopping her drawing. She looked up at him, and he smiled back at her.

"My name is Marluxia, what's yours?" he asked politely, and Namine looked down nervously. "Namine." She said quietly, and Marluxia sighed. "That's a lovely name."

The room was silent for a moment, and then Namine began to draw again, with Marluxia watching.

"You know" he commented as he watched, "you should get a notebook. So you don't have to do so many drawings on one tiny piece of paper. If you had a notebook, you could make your drawings bigger."

"Really?" Namine asked absentmindedly, and Marluxia chuckled.

"How about I come back tomorrow and bring you a notebook, and I could get you a crayon sharpener." He added, and Namine looked up at him in interest. "That would be nice." She said quietly, and the man smiled again.

The owner came back in to see what was going on, and Marluxia turned back to her. "I like this girl. Do you mind if I come visit her a few more times before making a decision?" he asked, and the owner nodded. Then, the man patted Namine on the shoulder. "I'll come back again tomorrow." Then, he left, and Namine was left to wonder for the rest of the day what the encounter was all about.

The next day, he came with a notepad for her, which had a strange logo on the front of it. The day after that, he bought her a bigger box of crayons. He kept coming for a few more days, but then, Namine didn't hear or see him for months. Eventually, he did come back, this time with a blond woman, who only looked at Namine briefly, and left. A couple of days later, he came back to sign some papers, and Namine was called into the front room to talk with him and the owner.

"Namine, this lovely man wants to adopt you." The owner said brightly, and Namine's heart began to beat a little bit faster. The man seemed nice, and he wanted to take Namine in! Namine wondered if the blond haired woman was his wife. She looked a little mean the last time Namine saw her, but maybe that was just because she was nervous, too.

Namine had to blink back tears at the sudden elation she was feeling. She was going to have a family. She tried to remember the way her mother used to hold her, but images of Draco began to come up at the same time, so she shooed all of them away.

"Are you excited, Namine?" Marluxia said suddenly, and Namine nodded in elation. She'd never really known what it was like to have a _real _family- a mother and a father. Until the age of four, she'd had to pretend that she didn't exist, so that no one would know that her opera star mother had an illegitimate child. Then, with the rise of Kefka, her family began to fall apart, and when she was 6, she was in her first orphanage. Ever since her mother died, she had never known what it was like to feel _loved_. But things would be different now.

Marluxia signed the papers, with Namine looking over his shoulder in curiosity. Then, the owner said goodbye to Namine, and she was herded out by Marluxia before she could say goodbye to anyone else.

Her eyes widened as she noticed the shiny black car that would be taking them to their destination. Marluxia looked at her closely as she ran her hands along the side of it, sighing as she did.

"You like the car?" He asked, and Namine nodded absentmindedly, wondering what it was like inside the thing. "There are a lot of cool things where we're going. You're going to have a great time." He commented as he opened the door for her, and then got in the car himself. "But, you've just got to remember, tit for tat. You get something; you've got to give a little back. That's all our organization asks."

Namine felt a chill at this, and a sudden strong anxiety overtook her body. She had heard close to those same words before, she was sure of it. She just couldn't, or didn't want to, remember where they came from, or who they came from.

Suddenly, the car felt like a cage, and Namine watched in melancholy as the orphanage got smaller and smaller, until they turned a corner, and lost sight of it.

…..

Namine had gotten a brand new box of crayons, and a new notebook, the minute she walked in the door of her new 'home'- Castle Oblivion. Apparently, it was a hotel that had been bought by a conglomeration of individuals called 'Organization Thirteen", which was just beginning to explore the idea of horizontal integration. They had told Namine before that they handled investments, and stuff like that, but they also alluded to the fact that they were involved in experimentation, and other things. Recently, they had injected her with an odd substance, and as was predicted, she took it very well. As they said, she had 'accepted' the substance into her body. What it was, exactly, Namine did not know. But it had something to do with a girl named Kairi and a boy named Sora.

Namine had spent ages researching the boy and girl, with the help of Marluxia, who seemed to be interested in anything that she was interested in. He made her so uncomfortable at times.

Kairi was the adopted daughter of the mayor of Destiny Islands, but, unknown to most other people, she was also the granddaughter of a previous queen of Radiant Garden, which apparently made _her _a princess. Sora was the son of the Investigation Bureau's creator. He was also the target of some plan of Organization Thirteen. Apparently, they wanted control of the Investigation Bureau, and they figured that kidnapping Sora would make his father do anything that they wanted.

Namine had been recruited to help them catch Sora. Apparently, they saw something in her, a talent that they could, as they said, 'put to use.' Namine was excited at being needed for something, and she couldn't wait to see Sora.

"Has Namine had that weird injection yet?" Larxene drawled, and Marluxia nodded. "I think it has made her stronger. I can feel the air change when she walks into a room."

Larxene snorted at this, and rolled her eyes. "Air change? My ass… what you're talking about is a _ghost, _Marluxia, someone who's been dead and forgotten. Come to think of it… you might be onto something there." She added in, glaring at Namine. Namine could never tell why Larxene liked to bully her so much.

"Oh, yeah, _Vexen _says that we're getting a visit from one of the higher ups today, apparently." Larxene commented, and Marluxia grimaced.

"Why is it that they always feel the need to intrude on us?"

"Because they know that we're up to something?" Larxene tried, and Marluxia shot her a disapproving glance. "It would be better not to say such things as that out loud, in the openness of the castle. Someone might be listening."

"Listening to what?"

Everyone turned around at this unfamiliar voice, and Larxene could not help but smile. Namine turned around to have a look too, and when she saw who was standing before her, she dropped her crayons in surprise.

Standing before them was a tall, extremely handsome young man with catlike green eyes, teardrop tattoos on his cheeks, and most strikingly, flaming red, spiky long hair.

Larxene fanned herself jokingly, and Marluxia frowned. "Whoa. Getting a little hot in here, isn't it?" She said, and Axel laughed, walking over to them. "What is it that you want, Axel?" Marluxia sighed, and Axel shrugged.

"I've been sent here by the higher ups to weed out any traitors in your midst. Know of any?"

Marluxia narrowed his eyes, and smiled. "No. But if I find any, I'll let you know."

Axel nodded, and then upon turning back to Larxene, noticed that Namine was staring at him. He looked her up and down, and then chuckled. "You trying to catch flies?" he joked, and Namine shut her mouth, wondering if she had been gaping at him too. Larxene did not like the attention being given to Namine.

"Hey, Axel, so are you going to be staying here for a while?" she gushed, stepping deliberately in front of Namine. Axel shrugged again. "I'll stay as long as I need to."

As he and Larxene talked for a while, Namine stared up at Axel with complete awe. He was the most beautiful man that she had ever seen. And he had been so nice to her! She had never met a man that nice in her life.

She thought that Marluxia was nice at first, but she quickly found out that he was just like every other man she had known before- and possibly one of the worst. It sent shivers down her spine to think what he really thought of her. If he was anything like Mr. Frank had been, he was a slime ball.

"Um, Axel, let us set up a room for you." Marluxia cut into Axel's and Larxene's conversation. "Larxene, stay with Namine."

"Aw, why me?" Larxene complained loudly, looking disdainfully down at the little girl beside her. "Am I gonna have to be the one to drag around _another _pipsqueak? One was enough…"

Namine looked up at this, and noticed that Axel's expression had changed. No one else had noticed though. She wondered who the other person had been. She decided that she'd ask Larxene. Larxene liked to verbally abuse her, but Namine figured that she did that to everyone. And the fact that Namine was a _child, _and that Larxene hated children with a passion, Namine figured that she had not done anything seriously wrong. She could ask a question, right?

Larxene was standing with her back turned to Namine, and when Namine touched her arm to get her attention, Larxene shook it off, turning around and glaring at the young girl.

"Larxene, I just wanted to ask-"

"Don't even speak." Larxene cut in coldly, and Namine shut her mouth in surprise. Larxene circled around the girl for a moment, and then sighed, smiling icily. "Marluxia told me that you were a really smart girl, before you came to us. He was always talking about the girl that he met in the orphanage. Well, to say the least, you've disappointed me."

Namine opened her mouth to talk, but Larxene slapped her before she could even think about saying something, and Namine looked down, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I feel like you were one of those kids who spent all their time in a little room, dreaming about how fantastic they would turn out to be someday. Well guess what, Namine. It doesn't work that way. Only people who've started with something get anything out of life. The only way to make something out of nothing is to steal it- to trick your way into it." She explained, and then she looked back at Namine with narrowed eyes. "Like I said before… you're a ghost. You do not amount to anything. When you came here, we gave you a purpose. Don't over step your bounds."

With that, Namine was left alone in the middle of the room, as Larxene walked off.

…

"Namine" DiZ called into the girl's room absentmindedly, and the girl peeked out to see what he wanted. "What is it, Ansem?" she said, and when she did not receive an answer, she walked into his computer room.

"Roxas is coming soon."

Namine's heart dropped when she heard this. She had never liked the idea of using Roxas as leverage against the organization. He would be arrested even though he'd done nothing wrong. His life would be changed because of a grudge that DiZ held against the organization that he had previously been employed under. Namine didn't think it was right.

"And, Namine?"

As Namine put her head back up, DiZ looked uncaringly at her. "Don't think of doing anything stupid."

Namine put her head down and nodded. She did not want to get on DiZ's bad side.

"Sir, can I go into my room for a little while?" Namine said with a shaky voice, and DiZ nodded.

As Namine went into her room, she noticed the emptiness of it. She aimlessly began to pack a little bag that Marluxia had gotten for her one time, putting different things into it. First was the lucky charm that she had made for Sora, then her crayons and notepad. Then, something fell from where she was pulling her supplies out, and as she looked down at it, she remembered something from back in Castle Oblivion.

Marluxia had been standing with a gun held to her head, trying to stop Axel from coming at him.

"Don't move." He'd said triumphantly, and in reply, Axel had just smiled.

"What kind of a game is this?" He'd snarled. "You think cowering behind Namine will stop me? Think again. Your little mascot can keep you company when I finish you off!"

As Axel had rushed towards them, everything began to move slower in Namine's point of view. Everything was so deliberate, so harsh. Marluxia had never been planning on _killing _Namine of course, but she didn't know if Axel had known that.

It was the little doll that looked like her. She looked down at it without care, and then a sudden, unexplained rage took over her, and she threw it against the wall. Then, she put her face in her hands and began to sob silently. DiZ was planning on 'disposing' of her, as he said. She was sure that meant killing her. She wondered if he'd been a good person before the lust for revenge had taken over him. Namine had been like a sponge, taking in any information she could get. DiZ would never tell her exactly what happened when Radiant Garden became Hollow Bastion, but she knew that it had something to do with the creation of the heartless. She also found out that the leader of the town, Ansem, had an apprentice scientist named Xehanort, son of the elderly Xehanort, whom she had never met before. Ansem's apprentice had created the heartless and let them loose in Radiant Garden. There were events leading up to that that Namine did not know. But, even for the little that she _did _know- apparently, it was still too much.

Then, Namine gasped, and couldn't believe that fact that she hadn't realized it before. DiZ was Ansem. What other reason would he have for hating Organization Thirteen so much, headed by the brother of the man who brought about Ansem's ruin? It made sense…

Namine sat back, and looked around again. She wondered if she would be able to escape. To help the people who needed it. Without direction, Roxas would be led into a direct trap. She wanted the best for Roxas. He could still help Sora without taking the blame for anything that DiZ had done.

Suddenly, there was a racket downstairs, and Namine jumped up, sure that it was Roxas. As she shoved all of her things back into their drawer, and organized her room a little bit, Ansem came in. "Remember what I told you to say." Then, he left. "Aren't you staying?" Namine asked, turning around, and Ansem smiled at her. "He trusts you. All you have to tell him is to come down to the library. He'll do whatever you say." This hit Namine hard, and she took a deep breath, preparing to say out loud the 'script' that she had memorized. Hi, Roxas. Go downstairs. Go to the library.

As she took a deep breath, Roxas walked in, and looked around in awe. He didn't even notice Namine. Then, a particular picture caught his eye, and he swayed back and forth. When Roxas had left Organization Thirteen, DiZ had used hypnotism to make him forget everything that had happened to him. Now, with the pictures that Namine drew, they were feeding his memories back to him piece by piece in order to gain his trust, in other words, to get him to do exactly what they wanted.

Roxas mumbled something about Organization Thirteen, and Namine took this as her time to speak. "Did you remember something?" She asked politely, and Roxas jumped a little bit, staring at her. Then, he shrugged. "I'm not sure." He mumbled, and scratched the back of his head. "What am I supposed to do?"

Namine opened and closed her mouth, trying to say the words that DiZ had told her to. Why couldn't she just do what she was told, for once? Hi, Roxas. Go downstairs. Go to the library.

"Everyone is waiting for the Investigator's son. You need to go talk to Sora." She blurted out, and the minute the words came out of her mouth, DiZ was in the room and in front of her, addressing Roxas personally. "What are you doing?" he seethed, and Roxas blinked in surprise. As Roxas began to recognize him, Ansem looked back at Namine, now realizing that she had already been telling Roxas much more than Ansem had foreseen. Namine knew that she was in huge trouble.

"You're…" Roxas gasped, and then tried to crane his neck around so he could see Namine, who Ansem was shielding from view. "Namine, hey!" Roxas shouted, and Ansem narrowed his eyes at the boy.

"Ignore her. Go to the library downstairs." Ansem snapped, and Namine put her head down, trying to think of what to do.

"What did you do to Namine? I need to talk to her!" Roxas shouted angrily, and DiZ left Namine's side, and grabbed Roxas by the shoulders. "I will answer any questions you have. Now, go." He said urgently, and led Roxas out of the room. Namine watched them for a moment, but then she stood up. She'd made her mind up.

"Roxas!" she shouted, and the boy whizzed around, and backed up a little bit as she grabbed him by the shirt.

"No!" Ansem growled at Namine, but when she would not come back, he started to advance on her. "You must really want to disappear!" he roared, and Namine turned back to Roxas as Ansem grabbed her. "Roxas- you won't disappear and you won't be left to take the blame! You didn't do anything wrong! All you need to do is talk to Sora, and help him! Don't forget! Until we meet again!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, as Ansem hauled her out of her room.

Roxas was left standing as Ansem dragged Namine over to a supply closet, and locked her inside it. The door was nowhere near soundproof, and she could hear Riku and Ansem's conversation outside.

"DiZ!"

"I thought I told you to dispose of Namine."

"I have no intentions of going that far. If you want her gone, do it yourself."

At this, Ansem went quiet, and then their conversation trailed off as they moved away from the closet and towards the computer room.

Namine sat inside the closet, shaking like crazy, and panted. Then, she laughed out loud, even though tears were streaming down her face. She'd just confirmed her own funeral, and she was laughing. She'd proven herself not just useless, but dangerous if left unattended. But she didn't care. As long as Roxas was alright, she was alright. She thought about all the wonderful people that she had met, and sighed. Roxas, Sora, Axel, and now Riku…

As she looked around, she got a sudden, familiar feeling that made her skin crawl. The almost complete absence of light, and the fact that there probably _was _a very good chance that a rat was in the closet, reminded her of her time in the sewer with Xehanort. She wondered what he had meant when he'd talked to her about how he had died.

…


	10. Investigation

**I must apologize for the horribly long wait I have put all of the people interested in this story through. But, I am back with chapter 10, and 11 is in the works! Keep reading!**

Riku whistled as he went up to Yen Sid's tower. Sora was busy with college stuff. Miraculously, he had raised his grades up to satisfactory for a bunch of the colleges that he wanted to get into, and he had also recently applied for the Guardian Academy in Palumpolum. They sent him back a letter that basically said, 'if you pass the Mark of Mastery Exam, you're in'. The fact that he was the son of the creator of the Investigation Bureau in his region was also a big plus on his resume. Riku couldn't help but feel jealous. Even when Riku tried advertising all his own good qualities, people only had to take a look at Sora's _name _and they wanted him.

Yen Sid had canceled the training for that day because Sora couldn't come, but Riku figured he would go up to the tower anyway to say hello. But mostly, he wanted to try and talk to Fauna. Yen Sid had given Flora a vacation, and that meant that she would not be hovering over her sister. Riku knew that it was probably morally unacceptable to ask a woman of questionable sanity about the source of her mental problem. But he felt like he _had_ to know.

He took a deep breath, and knocked on the door, and waited. A few minutes later, the door opened, and Yen Sid looked down at Riku with suspicion.

"What are you doing here, boy?" he boomed, and Riku shrugged. "I just wanted to see how Fauna was doing." He tried, but he knew that Yen Sid did not believe him. "You be careful with her. She is as fragile as the thinnest piece of glass right now." Then, Yen Sid led him in, and up to Fauna's room, where she was sitting at the window, humming. She was holding a pink piece of material.

When she noticed that Riku had come into the room, she set the pink piece of material down beside the window, and then looked back at Riku with a blank stare.

"What do you want?" She said quietly, and Riku took a big sigh, indicating Yen Sid's back yard. "Do you want to talk outside, in the sun?" Riku tried, but Fauna shook her head. "No. I want to stay in here. I want some tea and a biscuit. And I want you to have some too." She said curtly, and Riku nodded, trudging back out of the room. He went into the kitchen, and made some tea, got some reasonably alright looking cookies, and hauled the little lawn table from outside up the elevator to Fauna's room. Against her objections, he opened the blinds, and let the sunlight in. Fauna winced at the light, but after a while, it had a considerable effect on her disposition, and she managed to smile a little bit.

"What do you want to talk about, Riku?" she said serenely, and Riku tried to come up with a way to begin the conversation. "Well…" he started, and then sighed, deciding to be honest. "I want to talk about Ansem." He said finally, and Fauna's smile disappeared in seconds. "Oh." She said flatly, and looked out the window with the same blank expression as before.

"What exactly is it that you want to know?" she asked quietly, and Riku scratched the back of his head.

"I want to know about what you said to me last time we… talked. I didn't understand. What's the story behind that?" He tried, and Fauna looked down at her hands, and wiped tears out of her eyes. Riku suddenly felt very bad about asking Fauna all this stuff. "You know, you don't have to say anything if you're too uncomfortable" Riku tried awkwardly, but Fauna waved him off.

"No, this needs to be said." Then, she sighed, and began.

"I married Xehanort when I was 25 years old, a year after we were married I had my first son, who we also named Xehanort, after his father. My husband was very proud of his son. He used to call him 'junior', if you could imagine a time like that… but, anyway, he was a very intelligent, lovely boy. He was going to get married after high school, but then he disappeared for a while; he was in a science school in Gehstalia, this was years before the reign of Kefka." Riku nodded at this, and pursed his lips. He hoped it looked like he knew what Fauna was talking about.

"Junior and his father did not get along, and when he left for college, they were not on speaking terms. But, his father was able to get him to come back, and after four years of college in Gehstalia, he went to the college in the Land of Departure for four years. While he was going to school there, Ansem spotted him, and offered him a post as an intern scientist at his laboratory in Radiant Garden. Eventually, Ansem trusted him enough to make him into his apprentice, and then into his assistant, and we were all very happy because our son was set for life." She explained, and Riku leaned in closer to her, and noticed that she was wringing her skirt in her fingers.

"Long before my son became Ansem's assistant, my husband took in a young man named Ventus, and then another one who was called Vanitas. I didn't know exactly what was going on, but he was doing research with them. I didn't like it. I thought that at the time he was just trying to _help _them, because they were both in poor family conditions. But, I only found out much later that he had been experimenting on them. Taking in those children ended our marriage, especially the second boy. He scared me. He was so angry, and mean. _He_ drove the first one, Ventus, out. Xehanort's friend at the time, Master Eraqus, had to take Ventus in. Both of the boys were only nine when the trouble with Master Eraqus began, but Vanitas looked like he was 15. I didn't like it; it was just so… so _strange_. They'd done something to him to make him look that way." Fauna sighed, took a deep breath, and then continued. "But that is off the point. Ansem never liked my husband. I think he took an 'interest' in my son to get revenge on my husband- for what, I don't know. He made my son into a monster. The son that I had before wouldn't have been involved in the Hollow Bastion Massacre. My son wouldn't have experimented on those innocent townspeople and then let them loose as monsters on the city… Ansem had morphed him into a beast himself. After the Hollow Bastion Massacre, I was crushed. That day, I disowned my son in my heart." She croaked, and Riku shuffled his feet uncomfortably, but leaned forward in anticipation to hear the rest of the story.

"A short while after the Hollow Bastion Massacre, my son returned to me. But he was different. He looked like a skeleton, his eyes burned with a strange _desire _that I just couldn't grasp. It was terrible to look at him." Fauna whispered. "Then, he started asking me for _money. _He wanted me to give him money so that he could perform more experiments. I told him to go to his father, but he said that he already had, and that he'd made him angry. My son said that he needed to finish what Ansem started, and what his father had started. I said no. I told him to leave, and he got angry at me." she said with a shaky voice, dabbing at her eyes every few seconds. "Thankfully, Yen Sid had just come to visit me. When my son… attacked me… Yen Sid scared him off."

"A while after that, my sisters and I left for Yen Sid's tower. We were appalled at the way our town was changing- it seemed as if the sky turned darker after Maleficent took over. But, I never heard from my son again, after that day. I still don't know what's happened to him." She murmured, and her voice trailed off into silent crying, as Riku patted her on the shoulder.

"I'm really sorry that that happened." Riku said quietly, and as he did, something else came into his mind. "You were talking about a boy, Ventus" he added, and Fauna looked up with tear stained cheeks, and nodded in confusion. "Yes? What about him?" she commented, and Riku's heart began to beat faster as he tried to formulate his question. "Well… you said that your husband was… experimenting on him?"

Fauna nodded, and thought back on it. "Yes… it was something to do with the 'light and dark' thing that he was studying."

"Where did the boy Vanitas come into the picture?" Riku asked, and Fauna chuckled sadly.

"Ah, yes. The 'masked boy'. I don't know the full extent of it, my husband never told me, but he alluded to the fact that the boy Vanitas was the opposite counterpart of Ventus- like they were a 'team' of sorts. I really don't know much else. You'd have to ask the boy yourself." She sighed, and Riku gaped a little.

"Maybe I will." he whispered, and looked out the window in deep thought.

"I doubt he'll tell you anything. Not after being involved with the people that he was. Not after going through what he did."

Riku sighed, and then tried to smile. He took a deep breath, and then took a sip of tea. Fauna seemed pleased, and she began to drink her tea, too. Riku noticed her shaking hands as she set her tea back down in its saucer, and felt really terrible about what he'd asked her.

"I'm sorry." he said again, guilt creeping in at him, but Fauna waved him off. "It's alright. I feel stronger now. I just stood up to my husband. He can't keep me quiet any longer." She added happily, and then sat patiently as Riku finished his tea and biscuit. "Thank you for everything." Riku mumbled, standing up slowly. Fauna suddenly looked a tiny bit frightened. "What are you going to do with this information?" She said nervously, and Riku shrugged. "I don't know. But I won't tell anyone who gave it to me." He added, smiling, and Fauna nodded in relief.

Then, Riku cleaned up the table, and hauled it back down the elevator and back outside into the backyard. When he got back up to Fauna's room, he asked if she wanted the blinds closed again. She sighed, and looked at him with tired eyes. "No. I think I'll leave them open for now. Let a little bit of sunlight in."

As Riku exited Fauna's room, he sighed heavily, his head spinning. Since he had nothing to do, he thought that he might as well go to Ventus. Riku chuckled as he ran his fingers through his hair. Ventus. The strange boy who'd glared at him at Aerith's party. Riku wondered what he'd say to Ventus. How could he even start a conversation with a boy he hardly knew?

Riku thought for a moment, wondering what his next move would be. Ventus was living with Roxas in Twilight Town, so he'd have to go there. Riku wondered how Roxas felt about all the trouble that Axel was getting into. Riku had been so wrapped up in his own personal problems that he'd forgotten to visit everyone else. He wondered how Namine was doing. It still made him ashamed that he'd had to be the one to tell Namine that she had to relocate after Ansem had died. Riku had taken her in with his family, thinking that he was really helping Namine out, but when his mother noticed that there was no sign of Namine and Riku getting together, she told Riku that the young girl had to go. Riku wondered what his mother would think if she knew that he was gay.

Riku put that thought out of his mind, taking a deep breath. Then, he boarded the train to Twilight Town, and thought about what he'd ask Ventus. As he walked to Roxas' door, he practiced different approaches in his head. He was surprised to see Roxas just coming out from his house when he reached the door.

"Oh, hey Riku." Roxas said in a tired way, and Riku smiled at him, and couldn't help but look him up and down. Roxas was good looking, even when he looked miserable.

"What's the matter?" Riku said, and Roxas sighed, chuckling a little bit. "Well, we were thinking of 'adopting' Xion, but the idea just bothers me. I mean, she would have to be my _sister_. My sister and I going out- that's weird."

Riku shrugged. "It's better than letting her out on her own. Would you rather that happened?"

"Oh no way." Roxas assured, shaking his head vigorously. "I'll deal with it, it's just grating on my nerves- that and everything else that's going on. It's mostly Axel, though." He mumbled, and Riku sighed. "Oh, yeah, I can understand."

"I don't know about that." Roxas corrected curtly, and Riku was a little bit taken aback. "Wait, is there something that I'm missing here?" Riku said suspiciously, and Roxas' eyes went big. "No." He squeaked, and then turned in the opposite direction of Riku, and started to walk.

"Wait a minute!" Riku called after him, and Roxas turned back. "Where's Ventus? I wanted to talk to him." Riku explained, and Roxas raised an eyebrow. "He's not here. He's with Axel."

Riku sighed in exasperation, said thank you, and went back in the direction of the train. He'd have to go to Disney City now.

As he sat on the train, he wondered about Axel, and what was going on with him. Axel and Roxas had always been good friends. They'd probably tell each other anything. Then, Riku felt a slight pang in his chest, thinking about Sora. The boy would never like Riku the way Riku liked him. That was hard to swallow.

Riku walked up to Axel's house counting his money. He had spent more than he'd planned riding on the train. He still had a little extra left, though. When Riku looked up again, he smiled a little. Axel's parent's house was really nice looking. All the houses in Disney City looked like a picture from a postcard though. He couldn't say the same for his mother's dingy little apartment.

To Riku's surprise, a beautiful blue haired woman opened the door, looking a little bit irritated. "Hello?" she said coldly, and Riku glared at her without thinking. "What do you want?" she said flatly, and Riku sighed, and matched her tone of voice. "I want to speak to Ventus."

The woman seemed surprised at this, and nodded slowly, letting Riku inside. As he looked around Axel's living room, she seemed to loosen up. "Sorry." She apologized sheepishly. "I thought you were a reporter. They keep haranguing us."

"No, it's okay, I understand." Riku conceded, and continued to look around, until he noticed Ventus sitting on the top of the stairs, looking down at him in suspicion.

"You wanted to talk to me?" Ventus said indifferently, and Riku nodded.

Ventus looked down at him with narrowed eyes, and then shrugged. "Then come up." He mumbled as he went down the hall, and Riku followed him up the stairs in excitement. Ventus turned the corner into Axel's room, and lied down on his bed, sighing deeply. Riku had the almost unbearable urge to muss up his hair, or rub his stomach, but he felt like both of those were inappropriate for the situation, especially the latter. He rolled his eyes, a little bit embarrassed at himself. Why did the kid have to lie down in front of him, anyway? Why couldn't he just sit up like any other normal person?

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Ventus said, a little bit of nervousness apparent in his voice, and Riku shook his head and shrugged, going a deep shade of red. "Oh, nothing, it's nothing." Riku grumbled, waving Ventus off, and the boy narrowed his eyes at Riku again. "You just looked kind of angry, there."

"Well, there's some serious stuff that I need to ask you." Riku tried, but Ventus looked like he wasn't buying it. "And I'm trying to figure out how to ask it." He added, and Ventus grinned a little. "Well, tell me when you figure out." The boy chuckled, and lied down and closed his eyes. After a few moments, his eyes flew open, and he laughed when Riku turned away abruptly. "You were looking at me again, weren't you?" Ventus said slyly, and Riku opened and closed his mouth, trying to think of something to say to explain himself.

"I heard that you like boys." Ventus piped up, and Riku covered his face in deep embarrassment. Why was the conversation moving in this direction? He was supposed to be asking Ventus about his past.

"Yes. So has everyone else." Riku replied coldly, moving back into the macho tone that he got when he was uncomfortable. Ventus snickered, looking at Riku slyly, and Riku felt himself getting upset. If it got any worse than this, he would leave. But he had to figure things out!

Riku decided to pretend that he was in the middle of an extremely important investigation that needed a lot of stamina. Ventus was the prime suspect, and was trying to mess with Riku's mind. Sure, Riku could pack it in and quit, but that would mean giving up. Riku didn't think that people marked as Masters gave up. He stood up, took a deep breath in, and got ready to ask the question he had been waiting to ask.

"Did you just give yourself a little pep talk in your head?" Ventus mocked, and Riku felt himself rapidly deflating. It seemed like Ventus had a knack for seeing right through people. "Sorry if I burst your bubble." Ventus said, holding both his hands up, and Riku looked at him tiredly. "Do you do this to everyone who comes to visit you?" Riku mumbled sulkily, and Ventus grinned. "Yeah. What do you want to ask me?" He finished, and Riku sighed in relief.

"I want to ask you about your past." Riku said slowly, and Ventus' grin faded. "What do you want to know?" he muttered, and Riku shrugged. "Well, we can start off with Xehanort's experiments on you and your friend, Vanitas."

Within seconds of Riku saying this, Ventus sprung at him, throwing him against the wall. "Who the hell do you think you are, asking me that?" Ventus screamed, shaking Riku back and forth. "Hey, don't push me around!" Riku snapped, shoving Ventus back, and the boy fell backwards. "I forgot that you had brother issues. Lay off me." Riku sneered. For a moment, Ventus sat in a daze, but then his face contorted with rage, and he punched Riku hard in the face, sending the boy reeling back against the opposite wall. Then, he attacked Riku, hitting him as hard as he could. Riku struggled with him, not caring that the boy had started to cry. Riku's temper had gotten the better of him.

"What do you want from me?" Ventus screamed at him in hysteria. "Are you trying to blackmail me?"

"No, I just want to figure something out!" Riku roared, and Ventus tried to get a hit at him, but Riku blocked it with his left arm.

"What do you want to fucking figure out? Tell me so I can "help" you!" Ventus snarled sarcastically, and Riku noticed the door opening, and the blue haired girl and Axel ran in and ripped Ventus and Riku away from each other. "What is going on?" the girl shouted, and Ventus took one look at Riku, and broke down crying, clinging to the blue haired girl through hysteric sobs. Axel blinked down at Ventus, as if he didn't know quite what to do, and Riku rolled his eyes in extreme agitation.

"He's trying to black mail me." Ventus sobbed, and the girl's face went dark. "He knows about what Xehanort did to me."

"No I do not! That's what I'm trying to figure out!" Riku interjected, and the girl shot him a grim look. "You don't say another word." She said in a detached, controlled voice, and Riku got the shivers, realizing that he had gone into a situation that was a little over his head. He watched silently for a moment as the girl rocked Ventus back and forth, who was shaking uncontrollably, still crying heavily. When Riku had had enough, he took a deep breath out, and stalked out of the room, down the steps, and out the door.

He had the urge to kick down Axel's trashcan, but he reasoned himself against it, and continued down the road. When he wiped his face, he cursed, realizing that he was dripping blood from his mouth, and that it had gotten on his shirt.

Riku cursed again as he looked down at himself, wondering if he should go back in the house or not and ask for a napkin or something to wipe his face off with, and he jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. The boy wiped around and raised his hand in preparation for a strike, but he relaxed when he realized that it was just Axel.

"What do you want?" he said dejectedly, and Axel stared at him with an unintelligible expression. "What was that stuff that Ventus was saying? That you knew about his past or something? What was the stuff about Xehanort?" he whispered, as if Ventus was close by, and Riku shrugged. "I don't know. That's what I wanted to ask him about."

"Tell me what to ask." Axel cut in suddenly, and Riku sighed. "Why would you ask?"

"So I can tell you." Axel replied, and it dawned on Riku that the man was acting a little bit strange.

"Is something wrong?" Riku asked, and Axel sighed in irritation. "I've got to get that kid off my back." He breathed in an urgent tone, and Riku chuckled. "Everyone's got problems."

As Riku said this, he noticed the expression on Axel's face, and stopped smiling.

"What do I ask?" Axel said again, and Riku thought for a moment. "He was involved with Xehanort when he was a kid- he was experimented on along with another kid called Vanitas. That's all I really know. I need to know what Xehanort did to him, and about Vanitas."

Axel grinned slyly, and nodded. "I'll figure out a way to ask him."

"Maybe it will work with you knowing him better. Maybe you can figure out the right way to ask him." Riku said, and Axel nodded. "Alright. See you around, Riku."

Riku waited for a moment, and then nodded, and began to leave. "Remember to tell me when you find out!" he called, and began to walk away again. For some reason, he didn't trust Axel. He suddenly felt like he'd made a mistake telling the man all that information.

Axel looked at Riku for a moment as he walked away, and then turned back to the house, grinning in excitement. If he had this information on Ventus, he could use it to get Ventus to stay away from him. As he opened the door, he noticed that Aqua was pacing around inside. When he shut the door behind him, she looked up at him nervously.

"Ventus wants to talk to you." She said, a hint of curiosity in her tone of voice. Axel nodded, and trudged up the stairs, sighing in anticipation.

Ventus was sitting on Axel's bed with his feet curled up to his chin, staring down blankly at the floor.

"Axel." He gulped, and Axel hesitated for a moment before going over to him. After stalling for a few seconds, Axel sighed, and went over and held Ventus, who grabbed on to him tightly. Axel didn't know if it was the right time to ask about Ventus' past, but he figured that he could at least put the idea in the boy's head.

"Ventus, what was that all about?" he tried, attempting to sound like he really cared. Ventus looked up at him with those deep black eyes that made Axel so uncomfortable, and just continued to stare at the man darkly. "Why do you want to know?" Ventus finally sneered, and Axel shrugged, immediately abandoning the idea.

"I don't know. It just made me worried, what with you lashing out like that." He tried, and Ventus chuckled grimly. "Since when did you care about me?" Ventus snarled, and Axel blinked, trying to think of what to say. Ventus snickered as Axel scrambled for something to say.

"I know what you want. You want me off your back, don't you?" he murmured, and Axel rubbed at his eyes, kicking himself for asking anything in the first place.

"Now that I know that you haven't even been trying to fall in love with me, I won't let you near Aqua. I don't even need to let her be your lawyer."

Axel sucked in a deep breath at this, and gulped back his feelings. "I'm sorry." He whispered, and Ventus stroked his hair. "I'll give you one more chance, and I mean it. If you mess up again, I'll take away everything from you. I'll get you sent to jail; I'll take Aqua and all your friends away from you. Isn't it sad? They all trust me more than they do you." Axel looked at Ventus in fright, and the boy giggled, and kissed him on the nose. "Oh, and I know about your little visits to that friend of yours." He breathed in Axel's ear, and the man bent his head over and started to cry.

Ventus shut his mouth when he noticed Axel crying silently, and tried to get the man to raise his head up. When Axel shoved the boy's hands away, and curled up against the wall, Ventus pursed his lips. "Are you even trying, Axel?" he growled, and Axel folded his hands around his legs. "Just leave me alone." Axel whispered in a shaky voice, and Ventus shrugged. "Okay." The boy said as he got up off the bed, but he stopped when he felt Axel's hands close around his stomach and the man nuzzled his nose into the boy's back. Ventus slowly turned around, and raised Axel's tear stained face up.

"What's wrong, Axel?" Ventus whispered, and Axel looked away in shame. "Is he hurting you?" Ventus said darkly, and tears began to run down Axel's face again. "Did he rape you?" Ventus said, feeling himself starting to panic, but Axel looked up at him coldly. "It's consensual. Like ours." He added, smiling bitterly at Ventus, who gulped a little bit. Ventus let go of Axel's face, and folded his hands over his chest, breathing in and out slowly to calm himself. "Right, well, if you have your extra boyfriend, I can have mine too." He chirped, and Axel scowled behind Ventus' back.

"Who are you going after now?" Axel muttered, and Ventus tried to smile at him, feeling like he could drown in guilt. "I think I'll have that 'talk' with that boy after all."

Axel snickered quietly, and sighed. "Yeah, you can tell me what he says afterward."

"Why do you want to know so bad?" Ventus retorted, and Axel shrugged. "I just want to figure out what made you the way you are." He chanced, and Ventus chose to ignore him.

"I'll give you that." He muttered under his breath as he went down the stairs, and decided to sit in the kitchen for a while so that he could be alone with his thoughts.

….

Reno tapped his fingers on his desk in front of him, sighing in exhaustion. He didn't know exactly how many hours of sleep he had gotten that week, but he figured that the full count couldn't be more than 9 in all. Every day he had been at his office ages past what any normal person would have worked, trying to figure out the stupid case that seemed to be plaguing him.

As Reno sat there, something crept into the front of his mind, and he rummaged through the various files on his desk, trying to look for the right one. When he got to it, he breathed out in contentment, and stared at it, as if appealing to it for help.

It was the picture of the Cetra's hand. They still had yet to find if it had been worth Kid's time to steal it. As he traced the contours of the picture, Lightning stormed into his office, pink cheeked and very annoyed.

"What's the matter?" he breathed, and Lightning rolled her eyes. "There is nothing, and I repeat, _nothing _worth our time in Shinra Mansion. Hojo hasn't been doing experiments in that house for years. And, all the important files, as we suspected, are gone."

"Maybe he took them out a long time ago." Reno tried, but Lightning wasn't buying it. "We would have found evidence of the move! Hojo isn't a seasoned escape artist!"

"Well then maybe there was nothing there to begin with! Maybe Hojo _was_ the master mind!" Reno finally exploded, and Lightning looked at him with blank eyes.

"What do you mean?" she said slowly, and Reno rolled his eyes. "Maybe we are over thinking this. Maybe Hojo was into more than he let on!"

As Reno tried to explain, Lightning glared at him, shaking her head. "You are giving up, aren't you? I knew that you didn't have the balls to do a case like this." She growled, and Reno stood up, threatening to snap.

"I'm trying my best." He said in a shaky voice. Lightning smirked, and went over closer to him, setting her hands down on his desk. "Are you really?" She said lowly, and Reno shut his mouth, refusing to answer the question.

As Lightning circled his desk, running her eyes over it, scanning the documents, her eyes fell on the paper that Reno was holding, and she huffed. "Why are you so obsessed with that stupid picture? If this was so important, why did they put it with papers from the Wutai War? That happened years ago."

"Maybe it got misplaced." Reno whined, and Lightning snorted unapologetically. "That would be way too much of a coincidence to be a trustworthy option."

"I just have a gut feeling about this thing." Reno almost pleaded, and Lightning rolled her eyes again. "Well, what do you want to do now?" She said dully, and Reno pursed his lips, and scratched the back of his head. "You know how Hojo was trying to use the life stream to experiment on people?"

"Yeah?" Lightning implored, and Reno began to get a little bit excited. "Well, the Cetra were really connected to the Life Stream, and Hojo was using it to make super soldiers, so it's only logical that the picture would be a connection to Hojo, and even Project S!" Reno babbled on, and was extremely pleased to see that Lightning was nodding in agreement. "You are on to something!" She acquiesced, and Reno smiled giddily, suddenly pulling on his coat.

"Well, let's go interrogate Hojo again!" Reno shouted, and dashed to the door before Lightning stopped him.

"Wait a minute, Reno, why can't it wait till the morning?" She sighed, and Reno shook his head vigorously. "Because it just can't! Are you taking a break from this case?" He added, and Lightning's eyes lit up with a stubborn glare. "Never!" She replied grandly, and they both stalked out of the office together, wondering what was going to happen next.

…..

Sephiroth sat at the desk in his office in Midgar, mulling things over in his mind. As he looked around, he couldn't help but chuckle, thinking to himself how this room had previously belonged to Rufus Shinra, the man that he had murdered just a while back. Kadaj sat a few paces away from him, reading the paper uncomfortably. Sephiroth decided to address him, and coughed loudly, waiting for the boy to look up. When he did, Sephiroth grinned.

"What is it, sir?" Kadaj said coolly, and Sephiroth chuckled. "You shouldn't call me sir. We're practically partners now. Father and son team- just like Rufus and the President." He added, and Kadaj stared at him serenely with glassy, uncaring eyes. "Who are both dead now." Kadaj murmured, and Sephiroth laughed out loud, much to the surprise of his son, who glared out at him through the same glassy eyes.

"What are you looking at me like that for, Kadaj?" Sephiroth said dangerously, and Kadaj narrowed his eyes, as if challenging the man.

"You do not scare me." Kadaj hissed, and it made Sephiroth's blood boil. "You would be if you knew just what I could do to you." Sephiroth growled, and Kadaj snickered loudly, and bent forward to him. "Like what you did to my mother?" Kadaj sneered in a whisper, and Sephiroth jerked him up by the shirt suddenly, until their eyes were inches away from each other. "Yeah." Sephiroth snarled, and the daring in Kadaj's eyes disappeared, replaced by masked terror. "I could mess you up all over again." Sephiroth added wickedly, and Kadaj lowered his head so that Sephiroth would not see his eyes becoming moist.

"What a little coward." Sephiroth snarled, and left Kadaj in the middle of the room.

Clenching and unclenching his fists like Aerith had done before, Sephiroth tried to get a bit of calm back into his system. He felt angst all of a sudden creeping through him, and he tried desperately to shake it off as he rounded the corner to his own personal exit out of his building. As he reached the door, the conversation that Master Xehanort and his 'ambassador' had been having returned to the front of his mind. He remembered how the old man had told his assistant not to let Sephiroth near his father, Hojo, awhile back. He wondered why it was so urgent to the old man, and could only think of one thing.

Obviously, if Sephiroth visited Hojo, he would discover something about his past that would release him from Master Xehanort's control.

Quickly, he ordered a small car to pick him up, and gave the chauffer the day off. Then, he hopped in the front, and prepared himself internally for what he was about to.

His heartbeat began to quicken as he pulled up to the Investigation Bureau's headquarters, where they were holding Hojo in await for his trial, and he noticed the headlines on the papers.

"_Mad Scientist Arrested After Years Of Illegal Experimentation On Human Beings!"_

Sephiroth snorted as he read, and noticed the picture of his father on the front cover. Nobody in the public knew that Hojo was Sephiroth's father, thankfully, so that would not be weighted on his shoulders. But, even though Sephiroth had hated his father for years, he felt a tiny pain in his chest at what the man was going through. He tried desperately to shrug it off, and it sickened him that he still had a shred of care for the man.

After Sephiroth had parked his car, he took a deep breath, and slowly mounted the stairs, thinking of how he would approach a conversation with his father. The woman at the desk was very surprised to see him.

"Um, you're Sephiroth, aren't you?" she blubbered, and Sephiroth nodded, not particularly paying attention to her. "I want to visit my father." He said flatly, and she narrowed her eyes suspiciously, and nodded. "Do you want to talk to him in private?" She asked, and Sephiroth shrugged. "Sure." He said nonchalantly, trying to play up the 'I have nothing to hide' façade as much as he could.

The woman let him into Hojo's cell, and Sephiroth sat down on a stool beside Hojo's small bed in deep discomfort. It was apparent that the man in front of him had never expected a visit from his son.

"Sephiroth!" he said incredulously, and his son forced a smile. "Hello, father." He said coldly, and Hojo blinked blindly. "Why are you here?" He said in a dreamlike trance, and Sephiroth chuckled in agitation.

"I came to visit you. It seems that my 'friend and ally' knows something about me that I don't- and that you know it, too."

"What do you mean?" Hojo asked curiously, and Sephiroth rolled his eyes. "That's what I'm trying to find out."

Hojo just looked at Sephiroth, and then tears welled up in his eyes as he looked at the man in front of him. "You know, when you were a tiny baby, I knew that you were special. I knew that you'd bring something important to this world. You just needed time. You became a hero."

"I'm a murderer." Sephiroth said lowly, and the smile on Hojo's face disappeared. "I was a messed up freak because of what you did to me as a child." Sephiroth hissed, and Hojo became uncomfortable. "I was trying to make you into something better than any human could ever dream!"

"You enjoyed torturing me!" Sephiroth snarled, and Hojo took quick, deep breaths in an attempt to stop himself from hyperventilating. "I've atoned for it, though!" Hojo hissed, and Sephiroth felt like he was on the verge of finding out what he had come for. "And just how have you done that?" Sephiroth snapped, and Hojo chuckled madly, reaching his hand out to touch Sephiroth's face.

"You got so angry! You killed! And I covered it up for you! I saved you! You will always have that to remember!" Hojo sneered, and Sephiroth gaped at him in surprise, adding things up in his mind.

"You covered up... the president?" Sephiroth asked slowly, feeling his sense of control slipping fast.

"Yes, yes, of course! That is why I stayed on with Rufus Shinra! I didn't want people's suspicions to turn on you! I gave you a second chance at life! And look at you now! You're a leader! You've gained the respect that you always wanted!" Hojo blathered on, as Sephiroth fought within himself to stay calm, to understand.

"Why did you do it, really?" Sephiroth murmured, and Hojo became silent for a moment, and the almost manic excitement that had animated his features just seconds ago left him. "I did it because…" He started, licking his lips nervously, and coughing, "I did it because… because I loved you." He finished shakily, and Sephiroth's hands clenched into fists.

"I did it because I was sorry. I wanted you to remember me in a good way. I didn't want to be hated by everyone when I died."

"You selfish bastard." Sephiroth snarled under his breath, and Hojo shut his mouth, and bent his head over. "Now I have to live knowing that you were in control of another aspect of my life" Sephiroth snarled, and Hojo shrugged, a little more confident. But, when Sephiroth looked back up, _he _was the one that was smiling.

"You may think that you've done me a great favor by 'covering up' my mistakes. But it would have been the same either way. Xehanort still took interest in me regardless of your shitting around with my life. You never were, and still are, _nothing _to me." Sephiroth snarled in his father's face, and he noticed the man's mouth twitch up in a slight, nervous grin. "Then why are you so angry?" the dark haired man said softly, and Sephiroth snapped, going completely silent.

"Goodbye, father. Forever. I hope you rot in this little cell. Slowly. And painfully."

With those words, Sephiroth stalked out of the Bureau, his anger mounting towards hysteria inside him. He stepped into his car and drove back to Shinra Headquarters, fuming with rage as he went. When he finally got back, he barreled in through the exit, moved quickly up the stairs, and straight towards his office. The rage that had been building up inside him was making him crazy, and he suddenly felt the same way that he did when he had found out about how he had been a product of experimentation.

Kadaj was still in the office when Sephiroth returned, and he looked up at his father with distain. "Why did you leave?" he asked dully, and Sephiroth looked at him murderously, breathing slowly. "Don't say another word." Sephiroth murmured gravely, and Kadaj realized that something was very wrong with the man in front of him.

Slowly, the boy got up, put his paper down, and moved towards the door at the same time that Sephiroth did. Kadaj tried to reach out for the handle, but Sephiroth blocked him, shutting the door, and Kadaj began to panic, looking around for anything that could help him. When he could find nothing, he tried to reason with the man in front of him, who seemed to have turned into a monster.

"Father, I know that you are angry, but we can settle this quietly, equally, calmly. Just give yourself a minute to gain back some control-"

As Kadaj said this, it was as if something snapped inside Sephiroth, and his lips curled up into a snarl.

"You think I'm not in control?" Sephiroth snickered, and Kadaj began to panic. "Of course you are in control- but I just want you to take a moment to calm down."

"You're a little liar." Sephiroth snarled, and Kadaj gulped, wishing that he'd said the right thing.

"Please, just calm down." Kadaj tried, and Sephiroth lunged at him, knocking the young man down onto the ground, and standing over him with his fists clenched. As Kadaj tried to stand up again, Sephiroth kicked him, and Kadaj felt his lungs burning as the wind was knocked out of him.

"'Please'! Are we trying to be 'accomodating' now? Everyone wants to be on my good side, don't they?" Sephiroth mocked, as the young man in front of him looked up at him in horror.

Kadaj shook his head vigorously, holding his stomach in pain and fear. "No, father, of course that is not what I mean-"

"I am not your father! I didn't ask for you to be born! If I had it my way, you never would have been!" He sneered, and Kadaj felt tears well up in his eyes. "Father, stay away from me." He said shakily, but Sephiroth ignored him, and bent down over him, pulling the young man up by the shirt so that he would look at him. "You don't want me now? I thought we were 'partners'!" He jeered, and Kadaj took a deep breath, and screamed for help as loud as he could. Sephiroth slapped him, and Kadaj began to struggle wildly, punching his father hard in the face, which made the man angrier. Slowly and deliberately, Sephiroth got up, and locked the door into the office, taking delight, as Kadaj's eyes grew wide with fear.

"What are you doing?" Kadaj gulped, and Sephiroth grinned maliciously.

"Teaching you a lesson."

…..

Vanitas heard a strange, high-pitched noise that seemed to be coming from a few floors above him. When he had been genetically engineered as a child, all of his senses had been heightened. No one else had seemed to hear the noise that he did. But, Xehanort noticed the change in the boy's composure.

"What is it, Vanitas?" He said with suspicion, and Vanitas waited. No other sound came, so he put any thoughts he had about it aside. "I do not know." He said without care, and looked away, other thoughts creeping into his mind. He had three weeks left until he had to find a cure for himself. Axel's trial was just around the corner, and Vanitas figured that after that was over and done with, he could do a little hunting himself. He was sure that the antidote would be complicated.

"Vanitas, you have been off lately. Is something wrong with the medication?" Xehanort asked, and Vanitas shook his head. The old man sighed, putting the book he was holding down in front of him, and looked directly at the boy in front of him. "You are brave, going through this with this constant damper looming over you. I admire you."

Vanitas felt something inside himself glow the slightest bit. He wondered if it was pride.

"Thank you, sir. I will try to work harder." He said smoothly, and Xehanort chuckled. "Just put it out of mind, boy. It is too much of a disturbance to think about it. It impedes your judgment."

Suddenly, Vanitas went stock straight, listening carefully to everything around him. Xehanort noticed, and raised his eyebrows in curiosity, looking around him. "What is it now, Vanitas?"

"I heard something. High pitched, I believe it's coming from a few floors above us." He said in agitation, and Xehanort's head snapped up. "That is Sephiroth's office."

The two looked at one another, and then, suddenly, they both jumped up, and Vanitas ran for the door. "Stay here, sir, it may be dangerous." Vanitas said quickly, but Xehanort waved him off. "I will be there in a moment. I cannot move as fast as you can these days." Then, he went down the hall to the elevator with a few bodyguards.

Vanitas looked at Xehanort for a moment as he moved down the hallway, but the young man had to turn away quickly, remembering where he was supposed to be. Quickly, he ran up the stairs, infuriated with himself for not thinking that it could be coming from Sephiroth's room. He should have been thinking more carefully.

When he got to the door, he found that it was locked, and he called it in on the small communication device he kept on his wrist. "He's locked the door!" Vanitas said urgently to Xehanort, and the man sighed across the line. "What can you hear?" He asked, and Vanitas listened more closely. "It's just him and Kadaj. Kadaj is the one screaming. Sephiroth is shouting, too, but he is saying words. Kadaj isn't." He said, and then realized what was going on.

"He's raping him." Vanitas said flatly across the line, and Xehanort was silent. "Get security personnel up there immediately. Where was Sephiroth before this happened?" Xehanort added, and Vanitas called in more security. One of them was armed with a lock pick, and Xehanort arrived from the elevator, signaling for them to hurry up. "If we do lose Sephiroth, I can't afford to lose the boy. All these replacements will look suspicious, it needs to stop with him."

As Xehanort said this, the door was unlocked, and one of the guards stood aside, and kicked open the door. When he tried to enter the room, Sephiroth came out slowly and deliberately, and punched him hard in the neck, sending the man down. With amazing speed, Sephiroth took down guard after guard, becoming dangerously close to Xehanort.

When he was right in front of the old man, Sephiroth grinned, and stopped cold. "What do you think?" he said mockingly, and Xehanort narrowed his eyes at him. "I think that I have entertained a fool." He growled, and Sephiroth's grin turned into a snarl as he rushed at the old man.

Before he could touch Xehanort, though, he was sent to the ground, unconscious, by Vanitas, who had stood hidden out of the way until that moment. Xehanort stood motionless for a second, but then he relaxed, shaking his head bitterly and looking down at the man at his feet.

"Your own son!" he murmured incredulously, and moved into the office, where Kadaj lay crumbled on the ground, staring blankly ahead of him. Xehanort took his cloak off, and put it over Kadaj gently, who looked up at the elderly man with hazy eyes. "What do you want?" he said with a slight slur, and Xehanort looked at him seriously. "I am appalled at what that man did to you. I have enlisted him for help up to this point, but there is a time when things go too far." He said gently, and Kadaj looked away from him with an unintelligible expression.

"I do not want to be a part of this any more." He muttered, and Xehanort looked at Vanitas darkly, motioning for him to bring up paramedics. Then, he turned back to the boy in front of him. "Where would you go?" He asked, and Kadaj refused to look at him, shrugging.

"You have already betrayed your friends- if you could even call them that. I recall you saying that your brothers did not care for you too much. That uncaringness must have been distributed to their other friends, whom you call your own." Xehanort explained, and as he did, Kadaj's head bent lower and lower hopelessly. "They could not protect you from the horrors of your past- but here, you are with people that can." Xehanort continued, and Kadaj looked up at him in wonder. "If you help us, we will help you. We are not asking you for any favors, and you do not have to ask us for any favors. But if we can help you, we will."

Kadaj thought about it for a moment, and then put his face into his hands. "I am tired." He whispered, and Xehanort sighed. "We all are."

Then, the boy nodded to himself, and tried to stand up, but couldn't. "What did he do to you?" Xehanort asked, and Kadaj looked at the man in horror. "What injuries did he inflict on you?" The elderly man revised, and Kadaj breathed out in relief. "I believe that he broke my leg. He also got me in the ribs, the eye, and the head."

Xehanort nodded, and a paramedic tapped his shoulder to tell him that they would be taking over from there. Xehanort stepped aside as the paramedics brought Kadaj away, and Sephiroth was hauled off downstairs to a cell in the basement of Shinra.

….

Namine looked on as the old mansion, and all of the memories within it, was marked for demolition. Marluxia had promised that if he got her, he'd destroy the place just to 'teach her a lesson', and so far he seemed to be keeping his promise.

As Marluxia put his hand on her shoulder, Namine had to force herself not to recoil, looking down at the ground to keep from showing any emotion that might make him angry. Even though she tried to hide it, though, Marluxia tilted her head up in curiosity. "What's wrong, flower?" He said softly, stroking Namine's jaw, and she tried to smile and say 'nothing', but she found that she couldn't speak without tearing up. So, she just shrugged, which made Marluxia sigh in frustration.

"You know, Namine, I am trying my best to be accommodating, but you are making it very hard for me with all of this difficult behavior of yours. Could you try to be a little bit more enthusiastic?" He tried to reason, and Namine looked up at him in wonder. "How can I be enthusiastic about this?" she said angrily, pointing to the sign in front of her, and Marluxia grinned. "Why do you even have such a big attachment to this place? Namine, Ansem was not the 'loving father' that you seem to think he was. He bullied you and he used you, and you would know best. But you lived in denial." He snapped, turning Namine to face him. "And you are still refusing to accept that there has never been a person in your life that has cared about you. And now, finally, _that_ someone is staring you right in the face and you are ignoring them." He added, smiling a little bit. But Namine glared at him. "You have a funny way of showing it." She muttered, and continued to look longingly at the mansion that had previously been her home. "Can I go to college?" She said half heartedly, and Marluxia snorted. "You won't need to. I've just gotten wonderful news. I'm going to open more flower shops, start a chain. You can be my assistant." He added, playing with the ends of Namine's hair.

There was a ringing in Marluxia's pocket, and he raised an eyebrow in curiosity, taking out his cellphone. When he put it to his ear and asked who was calling, he chuckled as he heard the person across the line. "Larxene, I was thinking about you. Would you like to come over for a victory dinner? I'm opening up my chain. I'll see you soon." He chattered, and Namine looked around her, and suddenly, her heart nearly stopped when she saw the boy standing a few yards away from her. It was Pence. Slowly, she walked towards him, and Marluxia watched her carefully as she went over to him and gave him a hug.

"Hey, Pence." She gulped, and Pence waved at her good-naturedly. "What's up with that sign, Namine? Are you moving?" He asked, and Namine nodded sadly. "Yeah. Not far, though. Just in with Marluxia." She said shakily, and Pence shrugged. "I understand." He sighed, and looked back up at the mansion. "It's terrible that it's gonna be demolished though. There'll be another bit of history, gone."

Namine looked up at the house that used to seem so foreboding to her. Now it just seemed a little sad, and tired. It made her heart hurt to be leaving it. Then, Namine decided something in her mind, and she led Pence over to a small tree stump near the house that they could sit down on.

"What's up, Namine?" He asked curiously, and Namine smiled at him. "Can I tell you a secret?" She said quietly, and Pence nodded.

"Well, I was the daughter of an opera singer." She said, and Pence narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "I always had to hide myself when I was with her, because she didn't want people to know that she had a child. When my dad and she died, I was sent to an orphanage in a place called Jazzo. From there, I was sent to another one in Cocoon, called L'Academie. I hated it, so I ran away when we were on a field trip to the Planet. I eventually got to the Land That Never Was, and I went into an orphanage there. From there, I was taken in by Organization Thirteen, and then Ansem took me in."

Pence looked at her in surprise, and pursed his lips. "Wow, Namine. You've had one heck of a life up until this point." He chuckled, and Namine realized sadly that she might have confided in the wrong person. Pence didn't understand how important it was to Namine, telling a story that she had never dared even think about before.

"Well, I just wanted someone to know." She murmured, and she heard Marluxia call her name. She got up, and then sighed, smoothing out her skirt. "Well, I've got to be on my way." She said sadly, and Pence waved at her as she walked off. "Thanks for telling me, Namine!" he chuckled, and looked at the mansion one more time before he decided to go off, too.

Namine walked back over to Marluxia, who put his hand around her shoulder again. "Larxene is going to meet us for some dinner." He said grandly, and Namine nodded, staring down at the ground. She heard Marluxia sigh, and Namine looked up at him curiously. He was obviously not pleased with her. "You expect so much from people." Namine whispered, and she saw anger flare up in Marluxia's eyes, and felt him grasp her hair in his fingers. "You're acting very cheeky for a girl who I can do whatever I want to." He sneered, and Namine looked into his eyes defiantly. "This is just the way I am now." She said strongly, and Marluxia rolled his eyes, sighing heavily. "You should have never met that girl Kairi. She had a bad influence on you."

"It was Sora." Namine corrected, and she felt the hand on the back of her hair pull tighter.

"Are you saying it was my fault?"

"For what?"

"For leaving you to your own devices?"

"It's your call."

Marluxia seemed to have had enough, and grabbed Namine by the arm, grabbing her jaw and shaking it. "I've got lots of ideas for what I want to do to you when we get home. And remember, you promised that you wouldn't run away. Or I _will _find Xion. And I'll make her wish that she'd never been born."

"You wouldn't _kill_ her." Namine cut in, and Marluxia chuckled. "I don't know about _that. _When people get _desperate, _some pretty shitty things can happen." He sighed, and Namine felt her blood run cold.

"I'm sorry." She said flatly, and Marluxia snorted, patting her on the back. "How sincere that sounded."

The two met Larxene on their way home, and she smiled when she saw them.

"Well, well, well. The gang is all back together, hah? Is Axel in there?" Larxene asked in curiosity, and Marluxia shrugged. "He might be waiting on the doorstep. The trial's coming around soon, and he's getting more desperate for help."

"Will you help him?" Larxene asked, and Marluxia smiled maliciously. "If he's good, I will."

"I think you should just say, 'sorry, changed my mind.' He deserves it."

"He has been _very _good though, lately, Larxene. You should see the way he toddles around after me. I've got him wrapped around my thumb." Marluxia said with glee, and Larxene narrowed her eyes at him. "Isn't that just wonderful?" she finally said, smiling sweetly, and going up to Marluxia's door. Axel hadn't come, and Marluxia pursed his lips, obviously irritated. Larxene just laughed. "Wrapped around your thumb, huh? Typical Marluxia…"

"Shut up, Larxene." Marluxia hissed, and unlocked and opened the door in irritation. He pressed the pay button on his answering machine, and found that Axel had left the first message.

"_Marluxia, I'm really sorry I didn't come over today, but I'm sorting out trial stuff. I am scared and I just want to make sure that I've done everything that I need to; my lawyer wants to call you tonight and talk to you. She says that if all goes well, we could all meet in person tomorrow. So, I hope that all goes well. See you tomorrow, regardless." _

Marluxia sighed in masked frustration, and pursed his lips. "I wonder who his lawyer is."

"I heard that it was a girl." Larxene chirped, and Marluxia raised an eyebrow. "From who?"

"Xigbar." She replied, and Marluxia looked surprised. "Why did he call you?"

"He wanted to know if I was testifying. I said yes, I was. And then he just said "okay", and we started talking about Axel a little bit."

Marluxia shook his head. "Well, I'm surprised that Xigbar is interested in this stupid trial. Of course he would assume that _you _were testifying."

Larxene smiled at this, and sighed. "Yeah, well when they figure out _who _I'm testifying _for, _they'll all be surprised."

Marluxia examined Larxene for a moment as she sat back, obviously pleased with herself, and smiled. "Are you trying to prove something, Larxene?" He whispered sensually, and Larxene looked up at him like a deer in headlights, and then grimaced. "Fuck off." She said dully, and looked out the window with no expression.

"Well, I'm going to get the food ready, and you two ladies can talk while I'm at it." Marluxia finally said with a smile, and went into the kitchen, leaving Namine and Larxene in the living room by themselves.

Namine sat awkwardly, hoping that Larxene wouldn't say anything, but the woman looked over at her with narrowed eyes, as if trying to figure her out. There was silence for a moment until Larxene spoke.

"I could just never understand you. You know, the way you worked. The effect you had on people." She started quietly, and Namine sat by without a word.

"The first time you met Axel, and the first time he met you, you were so busy gawking over him that you didn't notice him looking at you. The first time I saw you, I noticed it too. There was something different about you. Something fresh, and innocent, and sweet. Girly, I guess, too. And I hated it. I'll admit I was jealous." Larxene murmured, turning back to the window.

"Every time I looked at you, I saw things that reminded me about myself. I could see in your eyes that you'd had a hard life." She muttered begrudgingly, and started to chew on her fingernails, something that Namine had never seen her do before. "You think that _Marluxia _is tough? Try growing up with a dad who beats you every fucking second. If I looked at him funny he'd wallop me. And then he did stuff to my sister." Larxene's voice cracked as she said this, and there was more silence as she tried to get herself together. "But I ran away with my sister. She died on the road because of food poisoning. We were too scared to take her to a hospital because we would have to go back to our dad. We were twins." She added bitterly, readjusting herself. "But I managed to survive on my own. I had a few run-ins. At first I couldn't fight back. But then I learned how to. And when I was brave enough, I went back to find my old man and teach him a lesson, but he was dead, too. He'd drank too much one night and hit his head falling down." She broke off at this point, and thought of what to say next, her features becoming softer as she thought.

"Axel was the nicest man I'd ever met. He had a few bad spots to his name, but everyone does. I liked him the moment I saw him. But, then again, so did you." Larxene added dully, looking at Namine again with intense jealousy. "But you want to know the thing that irritated me the most? How innocent you were. How lucky you were- after everything you'd been through. And that lack of confidence, the lack of strength- that was what was rewarded. Me, who'd busted my ass trying to make something of myself, and you come along with your girly blond hair, and your little pink cheeks and captivate everyone. You didn't have to do a fucking thing." She hissed, and Namine looked at her in amazement. "I thought that I'd done it all wrong. But, now we see how things _really _fold out." She whispered, and grinned triumphantly. "I may miss Axel for the rest of my life, but I've won. I'm going to testify against him. And Marluxia's gonna fuck you tonight whether you like it or not." She added, making Namine gulp. Then, Larxene sighed, standing up and stretching.

"Well, it's nice to finally get that off my chest." The woman chirped, and went over to look at the bookshelf like nothing happened. Namine looked down at her hands for a moment, and then looked back up at Larxene sadly.

"You'll always love him?" Namine whispered, and Larxene looked back at her incredulously. "What?" She hissed, and Namine sighed. "Axel, I mean. You'll always love him, won't you?" She asked, and Larxene refused to answer.

"He let me down." Namine said shakily, and Larxene chuckled angrily under her breath, shaking her head. "I was always just a pretty doll to him. That's why I finally let him out of my heart. I knew I'd get hurt."

"When you love someone you'd lie like shit under their feet and let them step on you as long as you could be around them!" Larxene snapped at her, and Namine shook her head. "If that's the way you think then you obviously haven't learned enough respect for yourself!" She said, raising her voice, and Larxene clenched her hands into fists, gritting her teeth. "What the hell do you know, little girl?" She snapped, and Namine stood up in anger. "I'm not a little girl anymore!" She shouted, and Larxene raised her eyebrows in surprise.

Marluxia poked his head into the living room in curiosity, and looked from Larxene to Namine. "Are you ladies alright in here?" Marluxia said softly, and Larxene put on a smile, nodding. "We were just reminiscing." She gushed a little over enthusiastically, and Marluxia smiled, and went back into the kitchen. Larxene looked back at Namine with narrowed eyes and a grin.

"He's gonna have a lot of fun with you tonight. It'll be good to see you back where you belong." She hissed, and left Namine in the living room alone.

…..

Xion sat at the window in Roxas' room, looking out of it in frustration. She hated it that Namine was stuck with Marluxia, and she hated it even more that she couldn't do anything about it.

Laughter came up from downstairs, and Xion sat back and listened to some of the talking. Roxas had his old friends over that night, and they were all just catching up. When she heard Namine's name, her ears perked up, and she decided to venture down the stairs to see what they were talking about.

As she got closer to the living room, she identified the voice talking as Pence's.

"Then she said that she was the child of an opera singer. And she said that she went to an orphanage in Jazzo, among others."

"Isn't Jazzo miles away from here?"

"Yeah, it's across a sea, man. It's in this place called Gehstalia."

"Do you think that she was making it up?"

"Why would she just make that shit up?"

"I don't know, for a good story?"

"Pence, you're stretching it."

They continued to talk as Xion entered the room, and when Olette saw her, she beckoned for Xion to sit down beside her. As Xion sat down, Olette looked at her, and when the black haired girl was seated, Olette tapped her gently on the shoulder. "What's wrong?" she asked quietly, and Xion shrugged. "I'm just interested in the conversation."

"And then, then she said that she was moved to another orphanage in Cocoon."

"Isn't that in that place that was at war a little while ago? Pulse, or something?"

"Gee, Hayner, did you pay any attention in geography?"

"Not that part!"

Xion looked on at everyone as they laughed and joked together, and she could tell how Roxas had felt so detached from them after he'd gotten his memory back, and even before DiZ had taken control of him. The three friends had such a set dynamic with one another, it seemed hard to wedge into. Or, maybe it was just her.

"Hey, Xion, you lived with her, right? Did she tell you any of this?" Hayner asked jokingly, and Xion stared at him for a moment, and then shook her head. "No, no she didn't…" She whispered, and Pence looked around the table with a smug glance.

"She knows I like to tell a good story. So she gave me a good story to tell."

Hayner broke out laughing at this, and Olette smiled. Roxas looked over at Xion with a worried glance, wondering how she was taking it all.

"I don't think that she made it up." Xion said seriously, and everyone got quiet. "Maybe it was so important that she told the closest person to her at the time. Maybe it was her last chance to say what was on her heart."

There was a round of blank stares for a moment, and then suppressed giggles, as everyone looked around to see if Xion was serious or not. Then, Hayner took the initiative once again, and started to laugh, as everyone else slowly joined in. Xion stood silently for a moment, and then smiled serenely, and sat back down. Pence shook his head and shrugged. "Well, I don't know if you'd know her better, but why would she tell me all that? I hardly know her. Up until a few years ago, I thought that she was a ghost."

A pain tugged at Xion's chest as Pence said this, and she understood the way Namine had felt for so many years. Being invisible was very hard. Then, something clicked with her, and Xion suddenly went over to Pence, and touched his shoulder.

Pence looked up at her in curiosity, and Xion leaned towards him, trying to mask the urgency of the situation. "Pence, what exactly did Namine tell you?" Xion said sweetly, and Pence shrugged.

"She told me that she was the daughter of an opera singer, and that she went to an orphanage in Jazzo, then she went to another place called "L'Academie" in Cocoon. And then while she was on a field trip, she came to Nibelhiem and somehow got to the Land That Never Was from there. Then came Ordination Fifteen, or something like that, and then Ansem. And that was it. She said it really fast and kind of confusingly so don't take my word for it." Pence explained, and Xion nodded, smiling. "Thank you, Pence. That is all nice to know."

"Well, Xion, I am happy to relate it. That wasn't my best story telling, though, I have to say. I can change the style to make it much more convincing, if you like."

"The material is what needs changing, Pence." Hayner snickered, and Olette kicked his leg under the table for him to stop. Xion was amazed at how Roxas sat back and just watched his friends talk about Namine. It only got worse when Hayner began to reminisce on when they first saw her.

"Remember when we were doing our summer project for 10th grade? And all that crazy stuff happened when Roxas disappeared for a while and stuff?" He piped up, and Olette nodded, rolling her eyes.

"Of course we all had to do our projects the night before school started!" She huffed, and Hayner pointed at her accusingly.

"Nu-uh!" He cut in, folding his hands in front of him. "You did yours before that and you never told us. You made it seem like we were all working together."

Olette rolled her eyes in frustration. "Of course I did it before! I wanted to see if you could actually do a viable piece of school work on your own without me helping you out!"

"But you ended up sharing your work with us anyway, in the end, so you just ended up wasting time in the long run!"

"I let you copy off me, and you made a shoddy PowerPoint! Pence did the presentation! At least he was somewhat useful!"

"Now you're just getting in a dig, Olette."

"Wait, guys, what was the point of this story anyway?" Pence interrupted, and Olette and Hayner stopped arguing so that Hayner could remember what he had been talking about in the first place.

"Oh, yeah. The ghost was our original idea; we were going to get pictures and stuff. We ended up doing amphibians, or something down by the creek. But, anyway, it was just weird how the ghost was actually a real person! If we had have caught her- now _that _would have been a presentation!"

"Then we made friends with her!" Olette added, and Hayner snorted. "I thought that she was kind of weird. She never talked."

"Hayner, come off it." Roxas finally said, and Hayner shrugged. "I'm just saying! That Sora kid was kind of weird, too, but in a different way. He was so… _happy…_" Hayner finished mystically, and Olette chuckled. "Is being 'happy' a problem, Hayner? Or do you expect everyone to sit around sulking like you do?"

Hayner ignored this, and continued. "She was so different from Kairi, but she looked so alike to her! I can't explain it… and the girl seemed like she knew so much… like the person who can tell the future in a thriller…" Hayner jabbered on, and Roxas sat by, rolling his eyes.

"I like her." Olette finally said, and Hayner tried to redeem himself.

"No, I like her too, it's just I don't know her very well. She's a bit of a mystery- and she fooled us all, didn't she? Even the person closest to her! Who knew that that was her life?"

"I don't think that she'd want you all shouting it out for the whole world to hear!" Roxas grumbled, and Hayner shook his head in frustration. "I'm not gonna tell anyone else! I just thought that it was interesting. Pence was the one who didn't believe her!"

"Well, I wouldn't have believed me if I'd told that story!"

"That's because it's you, Pence."

"Well… whatever…"

Everyone sat in uncomfortable silence for a moment, and then Olette decided that it was time for a change of subject, and they all began to talk happily again, without care, while Xion slowly slipped out of the room and up the stairs.

She paced around the room, wondering what could be done, fuming at how they talked about Namine. It was a while before Roxas joined her, coming slowly into the room. Then, he shoved his hands into his pockets and blew out a deep breath slowly because he didn't know what to say.

"Is everyone gone?" Xion asked shyly, and Roxas nodded.

"I wish that you'd come down more. You kind of kept to the shadows."

"Were they talking about me?"

"No, of course not. They wouldn't talk about you around me."

"Yeah, maybe around others, but not around you?" Xion chuckled, and Roxas sighed heavily. There was silence for a moment, and then Xion smiled at him, and sat down on the bed.

"I just know what Namine felt like. What it was like to be invisible. And then, on top of that, to have everyone forget…" She whispered, and then Roxas finally sat down beside her, taking her hand in his.

"I didn't forget." Roxas whispered, and Xion sighed. "Did you have no idea where I went?" She murmured, and Roxas pursed his lips, shrugging. "I… you didn't really leave much for me to follow. And then a bunch of stuff happened, and I was thrown into all this crazy stuff..." Roxas blathered on, and Xion looked at the ground. "But, you're here now, right?" He said hopefully, and Xion smiled. "Yeah, I am."

"And I'd hate to lose you again." Roxas added, and Xion rested her head in the crook of his neck. "I'll never leave you behind again." Roxas whispered, and Xion felt discomfort rising inside of her as she continued to think about Namine.

…..

A cannon went off in the royal garden as King Mickey announced his first purchase from Marluxia's flower company, now a chain with new locations opening in various cities throughout the region, and some in the Planet. It was a huge success.

"The first flowers from this company that I will be putting into my garden are their striped lilacs. An ingenious innovation on the beautiful flower." The King announced, as he put the first lilac down into the soil of his huge garden. One by one, he planted ten of them, and then got up and dusted himself off, removing his gloves as all the attendants cheered around him, and then all filed off for various assortments of cakes and beverages laid out for all the guests. King Mickey stayed behind, admiring his handy work, and then went back to the castle in order to change so he could greet his guests properly.

As his attendants led King Mickey back towards the castle, Sora's father waved to him, and the king went over and shook the man's hand warmly.

"How is the investigation going?" He asked politely, and Sora's father chuckled, shrugging. "Well, we haven't made much headway. It isn't going nearly as quickly as we would prefer. But, what can you do?" He added good-naturedly, and Mickey chuckled.

"But, that isn't the reason that I addressed you." Sora's father concluded, and Mickey looked at him in surprise. "Then please inform me of the reason."

"There is a young girl here who is very eager to speak with you. She needs your advice on some business transactions that went on between you and her friend, Namine."

King Mickey's mouth formed into the shape of an 'o' as he thought on it, and he beckoned for Sora's father to introduce the girl to him. Xion stepped out from behind a crowd of people going for the punch bowl, and waved at King Mickey shyly.

"Hello, King." She started, bowing unsurely, but King Mickey signaled for her to stop. "I'm just the King of this town, you don't need to bow to me. Nor does anyone else, for that matter." He chuckled, and Xion smiled half-heartedly.

"Sir, I was wondering… has Namine's money all gone to Marluxia?" She asked seriously, and King Mickey eyed her with scrutiny. "No. She told me to stop the business transactions. She told me to stop paying her."

Xion nodded at this, a little bit relieved, and then sighed, trying to figure out how to word what she was going to say next. "I want to help Namine. I'm wondering if there was some way that I could get a ticket to Nibelheim, and then on to Jazzo." She explained, not knowing how else to say it. King Mickey looked at her blankly, and then narrowed his eyes. "Why do you want to go to these places, young one?" He asked, and Xion pursed her lips, trying to come up with the right answer. "Since I was listed as living with her, do I have a right to the money?" She asked, and King Mickey shut his mouth, looking over at Sora's father for help.

"I have a reference, if you need one." She blurted out, and King Mickey nodded. "I know that you know Sora."

"And Roxas, and Axel, and Ventus, and Riku and Kairi. I know all of them- all of those people who helped you. Why would I be lying?"

"Why do you want this money so badly?" King Mickey snapped, and Xion took a deep breath.

"I need to help Namine!"

"Is she in trouble?" King Mickey asked seriously, and Xion shut her mouth again, trying to decide what the best thing to say was. If Marluxia knew what she was doing, he would make things hard on her. No one could know. "No." Xion chirped, and King Mickey looked over at Sora's father grimly.

"Is he here for moral support?" Mickey asked quietly, and Xion looked over at Sora's father. "Kind of. I guess you could call him a reference, too. I just want to figure things out. I want to find out about Namine." Xion tried to say, and King Mickey sighed. "You don't need any money, Xion." He sighed, and Xion looked at him incredulously. "What?"

"You don't need any money. If you have special permission, you can go wherever you want."

Xion didn't quite know where the king was going with this, so she just kept quiet and waited for him to explain.

"I can give you a document upholding that you are out on royal permission- but you've got to be on your upmost behavior. And you have to tell me exactly what you are doing. Riku and the man standing close to you are very dear friends of mine- so I trust that what you are trying to figure out is of importance."

Xion stood silently for a moment, but then she sighed, and spoke. "I want to find out how old Namine is. I don't think that a proper investigation was pursued. Namine knows more than she is willing to let on. Maybe I could pick up some other information along the way." Xion added, and Sora's father pursed his lips. "It's worth a try, isn't it?" Xion asked, and King Mickey thought for a moment, and then nodded. "Fine, I will send an attendant with you to make sure that you get along okay. I think I know just the man for the job."

King Mickey signaled to Sora's father as he said this, and the man went over to King Mickey with phone in hand, and the two talked in low voices for a moment, and then Sora's father made a call, and began speaking with another man.

Xion looked on nervously as they spoke with each other, wondering how she had accomplished what she did. It seemed like the hardest part was over with.

King Mickey and Sora's father came back to her, and King Mickey looked at her closely again. "The man's name is Rude. He used to be a member of the Turks, but he left the organization. He has recently worked within the highest office of the Investigation Bureau, and he has also taken on official duties for the advisory board over this whole region. We trust him very much. He will keep you safe."

Xion nodded, a little bit worried at the fact that she did not know the man accompanying her. But if King Mickey trusted him, she figured that he was all right.

"We will also get your papers ready." He sighed, and Xion felt excitement building up inside of her.

"Please let this work." She whispered under her breath, and closed her eyes. Then, she went back into the castle with Sora's father and King Mickey to discuss the details of her trip.


	11. A Helping Hand

Riku sat in his room, looking out of his small window onto rows of apartments behind his. He could hear his brother's stereo all the way from the other side of their living space, and he cringed as he heard the volume go up even louder, and his brother start to sing.

"Keep it down!" Riku finally roared, banging on the wall, and in a few minutes, he heard the door open. "You coming in to pick a fight?" He said dangerously, standing up and stretching his shoulders, but when he turned around, it wasn't his brother that he saw, but instead, his mother. She was smiling brightly, and Riku's jaw dropped when he noticed who was standing behind her. It was Ventus.

"Hello, Riku darling!" His mother said grandly, and Riku tried not to roll his eyes. "Hi mom" he muttered as she gave him a huge hug, and then went back to the door and put her arm around Ventus' shoulder. "I was just talking to your friend here about you and Namine!" His mother gushed, and Riku tried not to gape at her. "You what?" He snapped, and his mother suddenly laughed, patting him playfully on the shoulder. "Well it's old news now, Riku!" Then she turned back to Ventus, who was smiling serenely behind her.

"We thought that they were together! But she was really just mooching off of us…"

"Mom!" Riku gasped, running his hands through his hair. "She needed help! What, did you expect her to do 'fine' on her own without any shelter or money?"

His mother glanced at him coldly, and then resumed her happy act. "Well, anyway, I just came in to tell you that he was here." Then, she went out of the room, and Riku put his head in his hands, letting a deep breath out. He couldn't wait to be able to move out on his own.

Ventus looked at him closely, without a word, and then leaned against the wall and folded his arms in front of him. "Your mom is sweet." He commented, and Riku snorted, shaking his head.

"Thanks." He muttered sarcastically, and Ventus narrowed his eyes as he looked over at the boy sitting in front of him.

"It's weird that she doesn't know you're gay. I thought you would have told her by now."

"Well, it's harder than you might think, telling a mother when she- wait a minute!" Riku gasped, and eyed Ventus suspiciously. "You're trying to black mail me, aren't you?" he snapped, and Ventus clapped. "Good job for figuring it out. I didn't have to get mean."

"Just what do you want, Ventus?" Riku growled, and Ventus shrugged, sitting down beside him. "I don't really know. I guess I just want you to know that _I _have something on you, too."

Riku looked back over at Ventus sharply, and began shaking his head. "Ventus, I wasn't trying to black mail you when I went over to see you that last time. I just wanted to figure something out."

"What do you want to 'figure out'?" Ventus cut in harshly. "Everyone wants to 'figure' everything out, but they have no care for the people they're asking!"

Guilt crept in at Riku as he thought about it, remembering how he'd gone up to Fauna and asked her about her past life, ignoring the state that she was in. He was selfish.

"I'm sorry." Riku mumbled quietly, and Ventus snickered. "Well, your little tactic worked, I'm afraid. You've got me over."

There was a pause for a moment, as Riku processed that statement, and then he jumped up, and went over and grabbed Ventus by the shoulders, smiling broadly. "So you'll help me out?" He barked, and then he quieted down, and removed his hands from Ventus's shoulder when he saw the expression on the boy's face. "Sorry." He mumbled, and Ventus took short deep breaths to calm himself. "I'm fine. It's just sometimes I get a shock when people touch me like that- surprise me like that."

"You don't have to tell me anything." Riku tried, and Ventus shook his head, and sat down on Riku's bed, stretching out.

"You said that you wanted to know about me and Vanitas?" Ventus said dully, and Riku nodded in excitement.

"When I was four, I think, I was taken in by Master Xehanort. He saw 'promise' in me, or something. Then, he brought in this other kid, Vanitas." Ventus started, and darkness passed over his eyes as he remembered. "Vanitas was kind of slow. He was the same age as me, but I could tell that he was very different. Master Xehanort started talking about how Vanitas was 'neutral', and how he wanted to extract the darkness from me and put it into Vanitas. I didn't get it at the time, and then he put us both into this contraption, and I felt something seeping out of me. It was the scariest thing I'd ever seen." He said shakily, and Riku reached out and held his hand without thinking about it.

"I got really sick after they took the dark out of me, and Master Xehanort thought that the experiment hadn't worked. Then, Vanitas began to get really strange. He cried a lot. I had nightmares whenever I was near him. I dreamed that he was eating me slowly. I was getting weaker and weaker everyday. Then, Xehanort abandoned his experiment, and left me in Destiny Islands, to die, basically. To his surprise, I began to get better, and he brought me back to the Land of Departure and let Eraqus take care of me." Ventus breathed out. "I finally thought that I had a chance at having a normal life. I met new friends, Terra and Aqua."

"Terra and Aqua had just graduated, and they were taking the Mark of Mastery exam. Master Xehanort rigged the exam so that Terra wouldn't pass, and Aqua did. It crushed Terra. Then, that night, Xehanort's apprentice, Vanitas, came to me and told me that Terra was going to turn into a different person."

"Terra started trusting Master Xehanort. Master Eraqus sent Aqua to spy on Terra, because he was worried about him. But when Terra found out, it just made him mistrust everyone, and he left."

"He and Aqua got into a fight, and then we all kind of split up for awhile. That's when I met Master Xehanort, and he told me about my childhood. He told me that "I held the key" or something like that, along with Vanitas. I went back to Master Eraqus to confirm it, and he tried to kill me."

Riku gaped at Ventus, and the boy took one look at him and started to laugh. "What's so funny?" Riku barked, and Ventus shrugged. "Just your reaction." He mumbled, and sighed, stretching out. "When me and Vanitas are together- it means trouble. It's something about him holding a certain half of me- the darkness that used to be inside me. It's like we become one person. We held the key to controlling the 'heart of the world', as he put it- kind of like the Mako reactors in the Planet. But what we proved was something much more dangerous." He added, sucking in a deep breath. "Vanitas was just a vessel- he always was. He was a vessel for the darkness that used to be inside me, so that it could develop. When the dark inside Vanitas was put _back _inside of me, Vanitas became a shell again. The darkness from Vanitas ate away at the light inside me, without turning me into a heartless- but it also ate away at my being. I turned into Vanitas."

Riku sat by in silence, thinking about how he had been used by Maleficent.

"You can't imagine what it's like, fighting for power over your own body. I used every last bit of myself to push Vanitas out of me. But there's still some of him left." Ventus said lowly, and Riku leaned in closer so that he could hear what Ventus was saying.

"Vanitas is suffering as we speak. Every night _I _dream his nightmares. _I _feel emotions that aren't mine." Ventus hissed, fidgeting like crazy.

"When did it start?" Riku asked quietly, and Ventus shrugged. "I don't know. It wasn't long after Radiant Garden turned into Hollow Bastion, and Ansem disappeared, though. I had a dream that I was going over to a cage, and this weird black thing with yellow eyes looked out at me, and then it bit me, and _then _I was so scared that I could hardly move. I think it started after that dream." He gulped, scratching the back of his head.

Riku looked at him in awe, and suddenly realized why the boy was so strange, and angry. The kid was going crazy.

"I wasn't like this before. I just want someone to look at me, to stand up to me." He said shakily, punching his fist into Riku's pillow. "You know I was going to tell on Master Xehanort?" Ventus whispered, and Riku looked at him closely. "After Master Eraqus died, I felt like I had to say something. But Master Xehanort made sure that my friends were all gone. Terra disappeared, Aqua disappeared, and Master Xehanort told me that it was my fault."

"I didn't want to _hurt _anyone anymore. So I never told." Ventus whispered, then he sighed, and rolled his eyes angrily. "Then I was walking home alone one night and someone jumped me. And after that I was scared shitless of being alone, and I picked up a shit boyfriend who did whatever the hell he liked to me." He added in an almost unintelligible mumble, and Riku ran his fingers through his hair in astonishment.

"I just attracted trouble. It seems like when one thing happens things only gets worse and worse. I wanted Aqua so badly to come back, and Terra, too." Ventus whispered, sniffing quietly, and Riku didn't know what to do. The kid was falling apart right in front of him.

"My mother got sick, too. She was sick for a really long time. She thought it was because of how she got me. She used to beg me to forgive her. But it was her fault. If I hadn't have been there to meet Xehanort, he wouldn't have used me. He wouldn't have used Vanitas."

"He would have found someone else, Ventus." Riku sighed, thinking about the boy Terra, and about himself. "It had to be you."

"Why did it have to be me?" Ventus snapped, and Riku grabbed either side of the boy's face, and looked straight into his eyes. "Because you defeated him, don't you see? He tried to use you, but he couldn't! You were too strong. You were the one to do the job. Maybe you paved the way for Sora to do _his _job. And I thank you for that." Riku finished, and Ventus looked at him dreamily for a moment, before seeming to snap out of it.

Then, Ventus looked on in horror. "Oh my god." He said slowly. "I just told you my whole life story."

Riku took his hands off of Ventus' face immediately, and the boy jumped up off of Riku's bed, looking around for an exit out of the situation that he was in. "The door's behind you." Riku offered, and Ventus looked at him like a wounded animal. "Yes, I know that." He spat, and bashed out or the door, huffing as he went. Riku tried not to roll his eyes behind the boy.

Riku's mother came up to them both with a big smile on her face, and gave Riku a hug.

"So, are you and your new friend going to meet again sometime?" Riku's mother gushed, and Riku shrugged, but Ventus smiled at her. "Who knows?" He said brightly. Then, he took one look at Riku, grabbed the silver haired boy by the shirt, and snogged him passionately before Riku even knew what was going on.

"See you later." He added after parting lips with Riku, and he was on his way out the door.

All Riku could do was blink at his mother, who blinked back at him in bewilderment.

"Riku?" She gulped, and Riku noticed that his older brother had seen him too. "What just happened?"

Riku looked down at his feet, and gulped. "Mom." He said unsurely, and his mother folded her arms in front of her defensively, as if preparing for an argument.

"We need to talk."

….

Xion walked down the lane quietly, kicking stones as she went, when she spied someone that she thought she knew walking a little ahead of her.

It was Riku.

"Riku!" She breathed, and ran over to him, smiling. "Hey, Riku." She said when she got up to him, and when he turned to look at her, she noticed that he had a big bruise on the left side of his face, and he looked very glum.

"What happened to you? Did someone beat you up?" Xion asked, and Riku sighed heavily.

"It was my mother." He muttered, and Xion snorted. "What did you do this time, Riku?"

"I told her that I was gay."

Xion stood in silence for a minute, not knowing quite what to say, and then she nodded to herself. "Does she not approve?"

Riku chuckled, and pointed to the bruise.

"Ventus came over, and ended up getting mad at me, so he kissed me in front of my mother _and _my brother." He clarified. "He forced me into telling my mom. Let's just say that she didn't take it very well. My brother has been avoiding me now, and she won't speak to me."

"I'm sorry." Xion replied, and Riku shrugged, sighing heavily. "It doesn't matter now. The day was coming anyway. I had to tell them sometime."

The two stood silent for a moment, and then Xion smiled, remembering something from their past. "Remember when you told me I was a fake?" Xion asked, and Riku chuckled to himself.

"I don't know why I'm saying this now, but… I got mad at you because… because I believed you, to a certain extent." Xion continued.

"I figured." Riku replied, and Xion sighed, shaking her head. "I thought that I was actually part of the team. I really didn't even… even _think _of myself being a puppet in their stupid game… until you helped me."

Riku felt guilt creeping up inside him, and he felt the need to tell Xion, that he hadn't been doing it for her; he'd been doing it for Sora.

"And then I disappeared, and found Sephiroth, and my life was being controlled again! I couldn't even get _out _of the situation that I was in without someone else's help… without Axel." She breathed, and Riku stood silent as she continued. "I was so lost… so trapped… and so was Namine." She said sadly. Riku looked straight at her, wondering why the conversation had seemed to take such a sharp turn. "She looked after me. She thought she'd beat the system… but now, Marluxia thinks that she can be a pawn in _his _stupid game."

Riku sighed, shaking his head, and Xion looked back at him in surprise. "What is it?" She asked, and he shrugged. "I don't know. But… when you say that these people all 'helped' you… it was a selfish kind of help, Xion! People don't 'help' one another unless they're getting something out of it! The only person I know who doesn't work that way is Sora." Riku said heatedly, and Xion stepped back in astonishment. "Namine doesn't work that way!" Xion retorted, and Riku shrugged again.

"I know that you've spent longer with her- but two easy years isn't the same as one and a half years of seeing another person under pressure…" Riku explained, and Xion folded her arms over her chest, angry. "Anyone does things they regret under pressure- I hurt Roxas, and I loved him!"

"And do you know what Namine did to the person she 'loved'?" Riku barked, and Xion looked up at him blankly. "She tricked him, she deceived him and helped mess up his memories! Because of her, _I _became less than a person! Because of her, you were used, Sora lost his memories, and Roxas was hurt!"

"No! You're just making false conclusions! She had _nothing _to do with me!"

Riku looked at her with a hard expression, and sighed. "Weak people give in- and give up. I gave in to Maleficent years ago, and then I gave in to DiZ. I did whatever they wanted. With Maleficent, it was because I wanted power. With DiZ, it was because Sora was in danger. Namine gave in to Organization Thirteen and DiZ. Organization Thirteen offered her freedom, and DiZ offered her a chance at redemption for the wreckage that she caused. When I 'helped' you, it was because of Sora. When Axel tried finding you, it was because of Roxas. And when Namine helped you, it was to prove to everyone else that she was able to look after another person. Don't you see?"

Xion blinked back tears as Riku spoke, and when he was finished, she bent her head down. The boy in front of her finally realized what he was saying, and ran his hand through hair, wishing he had just kept his mouth shut. "I- I'm sorry, Xion. I'm a jerk."

"What are _you _trying to prove, Riku?" Xion said in a low voice, and Riku raised his eyebrows in curiosity. "What?" He replied.

Xion raised her head slowly, and revealed an expressionless glance. "Are you trying to show me that everyone is a 'bad' as you think you are?"

Riku blinked at her in astonishment, lost of words, and Xion stepped closer to him. Then, her face contorted with rage. "Because if you are, you're forgetting your knight in shining armor!" She spat, and Riku clenched his hands into fists. "Sora's not a bad person!"

"He broke your heart!" Xion bounced back, and Riku gritted his teeth in anger, and then took a deep breath. "You don't know anything, Xion. You'll never be real. You'll always just be tagging along."

Xion stood motionless for a moment, and then slapped Riku hard, which seemed to bring him back. "I deserved that." He mumbled, and Xion exhaled slowly, rubbing her forehead with her palm.

"I didn't come here to _fight… _I just wanted help making a decision…" She sighed, and Riku frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Xion looked up into Riku's eyes. "Namine needs help. If I can find out more about her past… if I can find out her age- I can get her away from Marluxia."

"If she's over 16." Riku corrected, and Xion snorted. "I know for sure she's over 16."

Riku sighed, and shook his head. "Why are you all of a sudden so obsessed with helping Namine?" He asked, and Xion looked back at him defiantly. "What's your problem with her?" She snapped, and Riku sighed. "Nothing, I just don't see what you can do! How are you gonna find out her age if the courts couldn't even find her birth certificate?"

"I'm gonna start where she did. I'll go to where she was born, and other places she went to."

"How do you know what places she was in?"

Xion looked up at Riku smugly, and folded her arms over her chest. "Looks like you didn't know as much about her as you thought you did." She said, and Riku grinned a little bit. "Do you need any help?" He inquired, making Xion think. "You could come with me if you wanted." She remarked.

"I don't know." Riku mumbled. "I think that there might be someone who needs me here."

"Sora?" Xion asked, but Riku shook his head, thinking to himself.

"No… Ventus…" he murmured, and Xion smiled in surprise. "Don't be too mean to him."

Riku sighed, and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Xion, I'm sorry that I snapped at you. I have a lot of excuses for you, but I won't say any of them." He added, and Xion laughed, nudging him in the shoulder playfully. "I don't know what's gotten into me… it just makes me angry when people talk about Namine, if people just gave her a _chance_…"

"They will, Xion." Riku cut in, and Xion looked up at him in astonishment. "I guess I'm just too hard on her… she reminds me of myself, for some reason…except less angry," he added sheepishly, and Xion laughed again. "You're too hard on yourself, Riku." She replied, and he nodded to himself in affirmation.

"Oh, and Xion?" Riku piped up as Xion began to walk away, making her turn back around. "You're not like that." He said simply, and Xion furrowed her brows in confusion.

"Like what?" She asked, and Riku waved at her. "Ah, it doesn't matter. You'll get a big head. Just go help Namine."

With that, Xion smiled, and ran off, and Riku wondered about how he could help Ventus, or if the boy would even accept his help at all.

…..

Axel walked along beside Aqua, and looked around. They were going for their 'meeting' with Marluxia today, which Axel was not looking forward to. He just hoped that Marluxia wouldn't make him do anything embarrassing around Aqua. He'd seemed irritated when they'd talked the night before.

Aqua nudged Axel on the arm, and he felt the same shock go through his whole body that always seemed to happen when she touched him. It felt like 7th grade all over again.

"Hey, is this the right street?" she asked. Axel nodded. "Do you want me to lead the way?" Axel asked, and Aqua nodded in affirmation, smiling.

When they got to the door, Axel decided to let Aqua take over again, moving out of the way so she could have the privilege of greeting Marluxia. She snorted, and then looked at Axel closely. "Do you not like this guy?" She asked, prompting a shrug from the man beside her. "He's not one of my favorite people in the entire world."

Just as Axel said this, Marluxia opened the door, grinning widely, and looked Aqua up and down. "Well, well, well…" He said, narrowing his eyes. "I suppose that you are Axel's lawyer?" He politely asked, and Aqua nodded, moving aside so that Marluxia could see her client. Axel his head down quickly as Marluxia looked at him. "Yes, I am. I hope that you can help us out. Axel's really nervous about this case. It's very important that we get all the help we can get."

"When is the case, exactly?"

"In a week, I believe. We're going to meet the prosecuting party tomorrow, I think, unless they decide to stall again." She chuckled darkly. At this, Marluxia tilted his chin so he could look at her more closely. "You have lovely hair." He pointed out, making Aqua blush. "Oh, thanks. It never seems to do what I want, no matter how much I fuss with it." She laughed, and Marluxia looked over at Axel with a sensual grin.

"Well, do you mind if we come in here and talk?" Aqua asked, reverting back into her 'business woman' tone, and Marluxia nodded. Then, they went and sat down in the living room. Marluxia spread himself out across the sofa, and Aqua took one chair opposite to it, while Axel took the other. The pink haired man pursed his lips as Axel sat down in the chair, beckoning for Axel to come sit beside him.

There was a pause for a moment, as Axel hesitated, wishing that he didn't have to do what Marluxia wanted. Axel watched as the smile on Marluxia's face slopped down into a grim frown.

"Aren't you going to sit beside me, Axel?" Marluxia whispered, and Axel nodded slowly, and trudged over, sitting gingerly beside the pink haired man. Marluxia began to stroke Axel's hair, and Axel felt the man's hand slide down the back of his head, down his back, and dangerously close to the top of his jeans.

Aqua looked on in surprise as Axel tried to act like everything was completely normal, hoping that she didn't see where Marluxia's hand was.

"Okay." She said slowly, taking out her notebook. "Um, before we start- how do you know Axel?" Aqua asked, and Marluxia smiled at the red head lewdly. "We fuck occasionally." He started, making Axel's eyes nearly pop out of his head. Aqua sat by with a stony expression and tightly pursed lips. "We were also in Organization Thirteen together, and in Castle Oblivion." He added, and there was an audible sigh of relief from Aqua, glad for the change in pace. Axel squirmed as Marluxia's hand traveled down the back of his pants, touching him. Aqua apparently didn't notice, and continued looking at the notes she had written in her notepad.

"I'll have you come down and talk to us in the police station, but I just wanted to have this meeting with you to see where you stand with the investigation, and to get a definite yes or no on whether you'll be able to testify or not." She explained, and Marluxia bit his bottom lip, mock thinking. "Will I be protected?" He asked. Aqua nodded. "If you would like, we can have police stationed in your home." Marluxia grinned lewdly, and Axel wondered what the man was thinking about. "That would be nice." He chirped. As he said this, Aqua looked at him more closely. "So is it a yes or a no?" She asked, and Marluxia thrust his fingers inside Axel, who bit his tongue hard to keep from gasping. "Do you want me to testify?" Marluxia asked Axel gently as he moved a third finger inside of the man, who nodded quickly. "You haven't said anything. Do you want it?" Marluxia whispered cuttingly into Axel's ear. The man closed his eyes in humiliation. "Yes, I want it." He breathed, and Aqua stared at him with an odd expression, closing her notepad. "Can you come over to the police station tomorrow at twelve?" she asked Marluxia shortly, and the man took his fingers out from inside Axel, and nodded. "Yes, I can." He said, standing up and putting the hand he'd used on Axel behind his back. Then, he held the other one out for Aqua to shake.

For a moment, she just looked at it coldly, and then she slowly raised her hand towards his, and grasped it, shaking it quickly, while still eyeing Marluxia closely. "Axel, let's patch up a few more things before I leave today." She said suddenly, and Axel nodded, trying to hide his blushing face. Marluxia looked over at him in triumph, chuckling. "See you tonight Axel." He said lewdly, and Axel nodded, feeling like his heart was sinking into the ground. "Yeah." He mumbled, and Marluxia ruffled his hair.

Aqua shut the door on their way out, and walked ahead of Axel quickly, refusing to look back at him. "Wait up!" he called after her morosely, and ran over to her. When he got to her side, she whipped her head around at him, looking at him fiercely.

"What the hell was that?" She snapped, and Axel's mouth fell open in surprise. "What?" He responded dumbly. Aqua narrowed her eyes. "What exactly is your 'relationship' with that man?" She said cuttingly, but Axel shut his mouth and shrugged.

"I'm gonna need a better answer then that."

"Silence is golden."

"Please don't try to lighten the situation. There is something more to this than you are telling me. What the hell went on in there?" Aqua snapped. Axel looked away belligerently, shutting his mouth tight in the hopes that Aqua would abandon the conversation altogether.

"Is he blackmailing you by any chance?" Aqua inquired, and the red head raised his eyebrows in astonishment, surprised that she caught on so quickly. Trying to redeem himself, he snickered, and shook his head. "He's not forcing _me _into _anything_" he lied, and Aqua snorted. "It looked like he was forcing you into a corner."

At this, Axel stopped, looking over at Aqua with a pained expression. "What do you expect out of us?" he asked. Aqua blinked up at him blankly. "Who?"

Axel rolled his eyes, and held his hands out around him. "Us! Organization Thirteen! When we banded together, we recognized that there was something that linked us together."

"What was that?" Aqua replied, trying not to roll her eyes.

"We're heartless." Axel responded, and Aqua shook her head, chuckling as Axel elaborated. "We're users, we take things because we didn't originally have anything. We even used one another. I used all of them. And now me and Marluxia are using each other, to get what we want."

"And now you've become accustomed to this, so it doesn't bother you at all!" Aqua snapped, with a hint of mockery in her voice.

"That's not true!" Axel shot back, and Aqua narrowed her eyes.

"You are too proud to admit that you are being stepped on." Aqua said slowly, making Axel grit his teeth in anger. "So what happens when Marluxia gets what he wants from you? What if he doesn't testify, just to mess with you? To repay you for whatever you did to him?"

"You don't know anything." Axel snapped, but Aqua pointed at him accusingly. "I see things more clearly than you do! You're immature! You're wallowing in the situation that you are in instead of thinking up ways to get out of it!"

"It's harder than you might think." Axel barked, and Aqua sighed. "Only because you are not telling me anything. If you want me to help you, you need to tell me what I need to know."

"Like what?"

"Like, what is your relationship with that man? And what does he have that you want?"

Axel looked at her for a moment, and then sighed, feeling his conviction eroding away like beach stones. "He has tapes of when I was with Organization Thirteen. So I'm running around after him to get them."

Aqua blew out a deep breath, and reached out to hold Axel's shoulder. "Axel, have you seen the tapes?" She said quietly, and Axel pursed his lips, breathing a little faster. "Well… n-no. I haven't seen them."

"Then you can't even be sure if they're real or not."

"They are real! Organization Thirteen had security cameras set up everywhere!"

"What if they destroyed the tapes so that they wouldn't be found guilty?"

Axel blinked out at Aqua in slight panic, and gulped. "I'm hoping for the best."

Aqua looked closely at the man in front of her, realizing that Axel was feeding himself with false hopes. "Tell me what was on those tapes, Axel." She whispered. Axel didn't respond for a moment.

"You need to tell me what was on the tapes." Aqua repeated, and Axel closed his eyes.

"I'll tell you people who would know something." Axel said finally.

"Xion, Namine, Marluxia, Larxene, Roxas, Riku, Sora, Kairi, and there was also a policeman I was making contact with. His name is Croc."

"You went to _him?" _Aqua said in surprise, making him wonder if she knew him personally.

"He promised not to start a whole big investigation. I didn't want it to go up in the headlines until everything went my way." Axel said shortly, and Aqua nodded as she scribbled the names down in her notebook. "Well, we are going to try and get these people on the witness stand. It seems like you've got many on your side."

"What about you, Aqua?" Axel asked abruptly, and Aqua looked up in slight surprise. "What do you mean, 'what about me'?"

"I just wondered what your story is. How you met Ventus and stuff." Axel commented, and the air of the situation changed completely. Aqua smiled a little sadly. "There's a lot to that story. But, if you tell me _your _story, I guess that it's only fair that I tell you mine."

Axel nodded. Then, they both turned back to his house. As they walked on, Aqua addressed him again. "What about the other members of the organization?" Aqua asked, but Axel chuckled. "They don't like me very much." He said darkly. Aqua chose not to pursue that conversation until later.

…..

Lea sat on the steps leading into the living room of Isa's house. Isa was taking a nap, and Lea didn't really want to go home, so he had just stayed there, even though they all thought that he was gone. He'd probably sneak out of the window in Isa's parent's bedroom in a little while. But, he couldn't resist listening to Isa's parents talk about him.

"He's coming over all the time now!"

"He doesn't have anywhere to go! Do you want him stuck at home alone? Or worse, roaming the streets?"

"Lots of other kids do just that."

"Isa doesn't seem to have a problem with him!"

"Anata, you know that's not what I mean."

"Then what do you mean, kimi?"

"I… I just think that this is an invasion on _our _family. Just because his fool of a brother can't look after him, doesn't mean we have to take over his role."

"Don't be so cold, Rin."

"I'm not being cold! I just think that we should set some boundaries!"

"Like what?"

"I don't know, for example, the weekends are for family!"

"The weekend is the worst time for a child his age to be off on his own."

"Oh, please, Daichi, stop being so sanctimonious."

"You just don't like him because he is different than us!"

"That has nothing to do with it! If it was your choice, you'd be re-furnishing our bedroom for him!"

"Now you're just being ridiculous."

"You are the one being ridiculous! I am tired of that little boy coming over!"

"He's not a little boy."

"Exactly. I think that that establishes the fact that he has the ability to look after himself."

"Kimi, I don't want to fight."

"Then don't."

There was a pause in the conversation, and Lea listened on eagerly to see what else they would say. The husband was the first to speak.

"Rin, please understand. I think that we both can agree on the fact that Lea's brother is incompetent in countless ways, but my heart goes out to those affected by his foolishness."

"Do you think you're going to save someone by taking this boy in?"

"What if he has children? We want to show him what a proper family treats each other like, don't we? So maybe when he gets older, he'll know the right way to behave."

"I understand what you're saying. I just don't want him over all the time."

"Fine. How about we have one day each week that he absolutely can't come over?"

"Three days."

"How about two?"

"Fine. Two. But it has to be two full days, no matter what!"

"I know, kimi. We can pick what those days are each week. But one of the days that he _can _come over has to be during the weekend."

"Friday."

"That's a weekday."

"I count it as the weekend."

"What about Saturday?"

"I want Saturday and Sunday for us."

"Alright, fine, fine. Then he can't come over Saturday and Sunday."

"That's all I wanted."

"What about Sunday lunch?"

"Daichi! I don't want him eating at our house at all!"

"Just every once in a while!"

"He can have lunch at his own house."

"Alright, alright."

"Then it's settled."

"Yes, it's settled."

"What will happen if his brother is sent to jail?"

"I think that he'll have to move to Midgar with his other brother."

"That will be a tough transition from Disney City. They're practically polar opposites."

"I know. And the crime rate is terrible."

"But, his brother has a great job. The boy would be taken care of."

"Money doesn't establish good care, Rin."

"Well, that's not our affair anyway."

"I suppose not…"

"Is Isa still asleep?"

"Yes, he was very tired after this week."

"It's probably the running around after Lea. You know, I wouldn't mind, but the boy hasn't even started his summer project yet!"

"The summer has barely started, kimi."

"I know, but Isa wants to get a head start, and Lea is not having it! All he wants to do is play around."

"Well…"

"He doesn't even have a job!"

"Neither does Isa!"

"Isa is concentrating on his school work! What is Lea doing? Nothing!"

"Alright, alright!"

"The whole situation is just… I don't know!"

"I know you're stressing out over this, but we've sorted things out, haven't we?"

"Have we?"

"I thought that we did."

"Well… I just hope that the boy doesn't grow to depend on us too much. That's all."

"I know."

"Well, anyway. Dinner is almost ready, and Isa needs to come downstairs. Could you go up and get him?"

"Yeah, sure."

As soon as Lea heard this, he scrambled up the stairs, and headed for Isa's bedroom. In the process, though, he ran into Isa, and they fell to the floor. For a moment, they looked at one another with surprise, and then they both scrambled up again as they heard Isa's father mount the stairs.

"I thought you'd gone home!" Isa breathed, and Lea shrugged sheepishly.

"Isa?" His father called up the stairs, and Isa dashed into his room silently, and pretended to be asleep. Lea went and hid in Isa's parent's room, waiting to see if Isa's dad would say anything to him.

"Isa, it's time for dinner." His father said quietly, and Lea heard the bed covers rustle. "How long was I asleep, dad?"

"Maybe an hour."

"Is Lea gone?"

"Yeah, he left about 5 minutes after you headed into your room to take a nap."

"Okay…"

The two went downstairs, and Lea trudged over to the window, and slipped out of it, jumping onto the tree near the house and climbing down it. He looked in the window at Isa and his family as they sat down to eat together, thinking about the countless times that he had joined in on their dinner, with not a peep from any of them about whether they wanted him there or not. Then, he sighed, and walked away.

He looked down at his watch, and decided that he would go and look for job applications. He had just turned sixteen a little while ago, so he could get a job if he wanted to.

As he walked down the street, he kicked a stone in front of him, and thought about what Isa's parents had been talking about.

Lea had known for years that Axel was sub-par at everything he did. But, the way Isa's parents were talking, it seemed like they were actually _comparing _Lea to his brother. Lea didn't want to be a failure.

"I can get a job!" He said to himself defensively, and marched down through Disney City, and went in various shops asking for applications. When he was in the ice cream shop, a few of the kids from his school came in, and stopped when they saw him.

"That's the kid whose brother was sent to jail."

"The one that was part of that scam?"

"Yeah."

Lea rolled his eyes, and clenched his hands into fists unconsciously. When he got the application in his hands, he trudged out, huffing as he went.

He found another stone as he was on his way out of the ice cream shop, and decided to go down to the pond that was near the Fruitball field and skip it on the water. As he walked down towards the pond, he crossed around the side of the Fruitball pitch, and noticed that the team was practicing. Lea watched them as they did laps around the field, and wondered how old they were. Lea used to be on his high school Fruitball team, and his coach had suggested that he try out for the city's team, but he figured that he wouldn't continue next year. He was tired of all the attention he was getting because of Axel, and the last thing he wanted was to be in the spotlight.

"I can run faster than that guy, that guy, that guy, that guy…" he said loudly to himself, counting the amount of people he could outrun. "But _that _guy is fast. Oh man, the guy in the back is actually the guy in the front!" He added, the excitement inside of him building. After the team finished their laps, they began to practice with the Fruit balls, and Lea watched the different techniques that they used. Then, he started to dribble the stone he had been holding, careful not to let it touch the ground, but also keeping it as close to himself as possible as he ran fast around in circles. He didn't notice the man in charge of the Fruitball team walking towards him until the man was a few feet away from him. Lea almost ran into the guy, but he stopped himself before he did any damage, picking up his rock and putting it in his pocket.

"You're the kid whose brother was in the news!" the man started off brightly, and Lea's face fell. "Yeah." He mumbled, and began to walk away, but the man stopped him.

"I saw what you were doing there! Why didn't you come to the auditions that were being held last week? Were you sick?" the man barked, and Lea breathed out deeply, rolling his eyes. "I don't play anymore."

"You were that offense player, weren't you?" the man cut in, and Lea nodded.

"You scored that goal from mid field! It was pretty impressive!"

Lea blushed a little, trying to hide the smile that was creeping across his face. "Yeah, that was a pretty cool game."

"You have a lot of fire in you, kid! Even when your team lost, you never gave up!" the man continued, and Lea wondered why the guy was buttering him up so much.

"I don't like losing." Lea mumbled, and looked up at the guy, expecting more compliments, but the man just looked at him quizzically. "I don't like losing, either!" he finally said, and Lea raised his eyebrows in slight confusion.

"Um, I'm really sorry, but… who are you?" Lea asked, trying to appear as rude as possible, but the man ignored it or was ignorant of it, because he good-naturedly held his hand out for Lea to shake, and smiled. "My name is Horace Horsecollar! I created the first official Fruitball team in Disney City over twenty years ago! From there, it has become a timeless sport filled with entertainment, competition, and most importantly, glory!" He boomed dramatically, and Lea wondered if that was his introductory speech to everyone he met.

"I know." Lea said without realizing it, and Horace chuckled, waggling his finger at Lea. "You know more than you let on! Did you quit because of all of the attention you've been getting?" He asked, hitting the nail right on the head, and Lea opened and closed his mouth, scrambling for a suitable answer. "N-no!" He replied half-heartedly, and Horsecollar chuckled. "So the boy on fire is fizzling out!" He lamented, tutting grandly, which made Lea clench his fists in indignation. "I am not!" He snapped, and Horsecollar chortled again, slapping his knee.

"Ah, defending ourselves, are we? Or trying to, at least! You really are an offense man, through and through…" He went on dreamily, looking back at his team, which was continuing to practice hard.

"Well, you can come tomorrow." He finally said, and Lea's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Wait, what about an 'audition'? Have you just skipped that institution all together?" He blubbered, and Horsecollar shook his head. "_I'll_ decide if you're still fit to play Fruitball! If you can't keep up tomorrow, I'll just have to assume that you've lost your touch!"

Lea stared at the man angrily as he walked back towards the pitch, and divided the players into separate teams so that they could practice. Then, the boy snorted, and stalked off to skip stones.

As he sent the little rocks in his hands flying across the water, he wondered about what he'd just experienced. "He won't make _me _play on that stupid team." He mumbled to himself, and whipped another stone across the pond water in front of him. "Trying to 'entice' me… what a weirdo… horse face…" he added snappishly, and giggled to himself. Then, he stopped, and rolled his eyes, looking at his reflection in the water. "You've gotta stop laughing like that, dude!" He lamented, sighing heavily. "It's not cool! You're a man now!"

He continued to look at himself, and then sighed again, putting his face in his hands. "You used to be funny. Now you're all _deep _and stuff. You need something to get your mind off of things." He mumbled, and thought about Selphie again, smiling to himself. Then, he tried to picture Namine's head on Selphie's body, and snickered to himself. "If only I knew more than just your name…" he sighed dreamily, and then snapped himself out of it again, rolling his eyes. "Manliness! Manly men don't recite weird lovesick sayings!" He growled, and then picked up another stone that lay beside him, examining it as he thought.

Everyone thought that Axel was a failure. He'd always been bad in school, he was pretty good at sports, but he didn't have the go to get on a team. He just liked messing around. Then, Lea's eyes widened as he thought about the situation that he was in. Maybe, he was being _just like _Axel, giving up on the sport. And for what? So he could sit around sulking?

Lea looked down at the water again, and tried pumping himself up. "Why are you quitting anyway, man? You were on the varsity team your second year of high school! You were the best offensive player on the whole team! And you're just quitting? You're letting yourself quit?" He continued, pumping himself up even more. "Someone cares about you, and you're passing them up!" He barked, and tears began to form in his eyes. "People are finally gonna see you for yourself! They're gonna remember _you!_" He went on, looking out beyond the pond, and out onto Disney City.

Then, he made his choice.

In his excitement, he decided to run home, because he figured it would be good practice for the next morning. When he finally got back to his house, though, he found that he was exhausted, and hungry. He looked in the fridge, and rolled his eyes when he saw that there was hardly anything left in it. Axel seemed to be away so much that sometimes he forgot to get food. So, Lea went over to the money jar that Axel kept under the stairs, and took out the debit card that Reno had given them to buy stuff for Lea.

As he trudged to the grocery store, he tried to get his breath back, and he felt excitement creeping in on him again. So, he decided to pick something cool for a pre-victory dinner. His mother used to make a really good victory chicken for when the boys accomplished something really important and challenging, and Lea had watched her make it a lot of the times. So, he got the ingredients that she used to use, and picked up some potatoes, carrots, and ingredients for stuffing and gravy.

When he got back home, he took a deep breath in, and tried to put his mental cooking hat on. Then, he got started. When he was just beginning to set the table, he heard a knock on the door, and when he looked in the peephole, he saw that it was Ventus.

"What do you want?" He snapped after he'd opened the door, and Ventus looked at him coldly. "I just wanted to know if your brother was at home." He replied, and Lea shook his head. "Are you alone?" Ventus inquired, and Lea rolled his eyes. "What does it matter to you? You've fulfilled your purpose haven't you? Axel isn't here. Goodbye."

Lea tried to close the door, but Ventus put his foot in the way, so that Lea couldn't close it. "Can't I come in?" He sneered, and Lea pursed his lips, and finally opened the door in a huff, trudging back into the kitchen to get all the food out. So much for his dinner.

"It smells great in here." Ventus said quietly, and Lea shrugged. "I try." He shrugged, putting the dinner onto his plate. Ventus looked around the kitchen table, and furrowed his eyebrows. "You set the table for five people." He commented, and it seemed as if time itself had halted. Lea looked up at him blankly, and then around the table, as if to confirm what the boy in front of him had commented upon. Then, the irritated expression he'd had on his face fell into a sad frown, and the boy struggled to hold back tears. Ventus looked on him with pity, as he tried to get himself together, and went over and gave him a tight hug. Ventus was surprised when Lea returned it, and he heard the boy sniffing.

As Ventus stared down the nape of Lea's neck, he felt a foreign, indescribably strong feeling of panic overcome him, like time was of the essence, and he stumbled back a little bit, trying desperately to catch his breath. "Whoa, are you alright?" Lea barked, grabbing Ventus tightly around the waist, and the boy looked up at him. Then, Ventus suddenly grabbed Lea by the shirt, and kissed him hard, bringing his left arm up over Lea's shoulder, and his right one around the boy's waist, trying to force the panic out of his body. Lea struggled frantically, beating Ventus on the back, and pursing his lips. "S-stop!" He gasped, but Ventus grabbed him by the back of the head, and they both fell to the floor as Ventus' heart beat faster and faster.

"Get out of my head!" He snarled to himself desperately, and Lea kicked him in the shins. After a brief struggle, Ventus finally pinned Lea down, and the boy looked up at him with wild terror. "What the fuck is wrong with you!" He screamed, and Ventus looked down at him, feeling like he was on the verge of tears, himself. "I wanna do you." He responded in agony, and Lea's face scrunched up as tears escaped his eyes. "Fuck off." He said weakly, and Ventus bent over and began to kiss the boy again, ignoring the door opening.

Then, there was a gasp, and Axel ran over and pealed Ventus off of Lea, throwing him into the opposite wall. Lea scrambled up to the top of the stairs, and Aqua ran up to him as he cowered. "Are you okay?" She said in a choked voice, and Lea pointed at Ventus madly. "H-he! He gave me hickeys!" He screeched, pointing to the underside of his jaw, and Ventus snorted.

"Shut up!" Axel roared at Ventus, and the boy's expression changed dramatically, and his eyes widened in fear. But, in a few moments, he regained his uncaring, cold expression, and laughed at Axel. "I'm the one who's supposed to be giving you orders!" Ventus sneered, and Aqua's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "Ventus, what have you been doing with Axel?" She asked, and there was silence for a moment, as Ventus thought of what he would say. Then, he looked at Axel again with narrowed eyes, and pointed at him.

"He raped me!" He wailed, and Axel put his head in his hands as Lea looked at him in horror.

"And I said that I'd tell, so he told me I could make him do anything I wanted!" Ventus continued, and Aqua stood there with a lost expression, not knowing what to do. "If I want to fuck your brother, I should be just as entitled to it as everyone else!" Ventus spat, and Axel grimaced with rage. "He didn't want you anywhere near him!" Axel roared, and Ventus laughed mockingly. "It doesn't matter! I can do whatever I want now! I'm in charge!" he snarled, and Aqua seemed to come out of the trance that she was in for a moment. "No, you're not in control, Ven." She said lovingly, but Ventus looked at her with a sneer. "Shut up, bitch." He snarled, and Aqua's eyes became wet as she went off into a different world again, battling within herself.

"I think that I'll tell everyone now, just because. Of course, if you let me do Lea, I might rethink it." Ventus chanced, and it seemed as if something inside Axel snapped, and he pounced at Ventus, punching the boy hard in the stomach. "You little-!" He snarled to himself as Ventus screamed in front of him. He was just about to bring his fist down on Ventus' nose, when he felt a sharp pain in his arm as it was twisted over his back. Then, his legs went from underneath him, and the next thing he knew, Aqua was above him, holding him down.

Axel looked up at her for a moment in surprise, and then chuckled tiredly to himself. "Where the hell did _you _go to law school?" He tried, and Aqua continued to look down at him with an unintelligible expression. "What happened with you and my friend, Axel?" Aqua said in a controlled voice, and Axel snorted. "I think you've lost your friend."

"Answer me!" Aqua shouted cuttingly, and Axel went quiet, before finally responding. "You wanna know what's been going on between me and Ventus?" Axel shouted, and Aqua looked at him with a disgusted expression.

"Your 'buddy' Ventus and I met at his 'welcome to your new family' party at a friend's house. He tricked me into having sex with him by pretending to be _my _friend, Roxas." He started, and Aqua shook her head. "It's funny that you can't recognize your own friend." She sneered, and Axel gritted his teeth. "I've liked Roxas for a long time! But he has never liked me back! And Ventus knew that I felt that way! He's a great actor- and yes, a part of me knew that it wasn't Roxas, but I ignored it, because I _really wanted _it to be Roxas. It was only after we were finished that he said that he was Ventus. I tried to break it off, but he said that he'd tell everyone that I raped him if I did." He snapped, and Aqua blinked out at Ventus, who put his head down in shame. It was clear that she didn't know who she could believe. "Where does Marluxia come into this?" She said shakily, and Axel went quiet. "Tell me!" She snapped. "Or I'll just have to assume that you're a liar."

"I went to Marluxia to see if he would testify for me, and he said that he had tapes from when I was in Organization Thirteen that would help me. Then he… he…" Axel gulped, and Aqua looked at him confusedly. "He got me reeled into one of his stupid games. He blackmailed me with the tapes, so I would do what he wanted. That's why I acted weird when we were meeting with him." Axel said quickly, holding back the emotions inside of him.

Aqua stood for a moment, thoroughly shocked, and then seemed to piece together things in her head. "This may come as a surprise to you, Ventus. But I believe Axel." She said, and Ventus stared up at her in astonishment. Then, she looked at him angrily.

"The Ventus _I _used to know _helped _people- he helped whoever needed him. He even helped his friends when he knew that it would cost him everything. He didn't hurt people. He didn't lie, and deceive just to- to _use _people." She explained, and Ventus's eyes looked blank, like a doll's, as she spoke. "You're not the Ventus that I knew before. I don't know who you are at all. And I don't know if I want to know." She snapped, and then, she stood up away from Axel, and cleared her throat.

"I am Aqua, one of Master Eraqus's former students, along with Terra and Ventus. Terra and I were going to take the Mark of Mastery Exam, together. I passed and he didn't. He was consumed by darkness, led astray by Master Xehanort, who is now convicting you. Terra let me down. After he disappeared, I was scared for Ventus. Master Xehanort told me that he had the power to harm Ventus, and I believed him. I didn't think I was strong enough to protect him, and I hid, under the guise that I had disappeared. Xehanort hadn't lied- he didn't pursue Ventus, so I did leave. I wanted to get stronger, and come back so that I could protect my friends properly." She continued. "Then, there was a war in the region I was living in, and I had to move again. I changed my name, and just recently, I changed it back, and decided to come back, when I heard news about a pair of twins that had been reunited. For some reason, it brought me back. And then, I found out that it was you, Ven. But now it's all gone terribly wrong. You've turned into something I cannot fathom. And that is my fault." She gulped, and took a deep breath. "But maybe I wasted my time coming back. I've destroyed you. And I shouldn't stay and destroy anything else." She said shortly, and went over and picked up her briefcase, sighing.

"Don't worry, Axel, I won't abandon your case. Maybe we can be more honest with each other now. I will do everything in my power to get you away from Marluxia." She added, and Axel shut his eyes in internal agony. "See you tomorrow." Aqua finished, and left.

Axel looked over at Ventus expectantly, but the boy just stared at his hands. "I- I am a monster aren't I?" he said to Axel, but the man just stared at him, waiting for him to leave. The boy gulped, and stood up, shaking his head. "I didn't know that Xehanort had forced her to leave. How was I supposed to know?" He asked no one in particular, in a lost kind of way. Then, he went towards the door, and slipped out of the house.

There was silence for a moment, as Axel pulled himself together, and he looked up at Lea in shame, trying desperately to find something to say that would make the situation any better.

"I'm sorry." Axel pleaded, but Lea just looked at him with anger. Then, Axel watched helplessly as Lea sent the plates, chicken, and the rest of the food he'd made out the window, and listened as it crashed to the ground outside.

…..

Namine tried hard to scrub a stain off of one of Marluxia's shirts, but it wouldn't come off, and she huffed out in desperation. Then, she felt a hand wrap around her waist, and her stomach turned as Marluxia kissed her on the cheek.

"How's my flower?" He chirped, and Namine forced a smile. "She's just fine."

"Is she lonely?" Marluxia said sensually, and Namine looked out the window as he kissed her neck. "Yeah." She said flatly, and Marluxia looked at her with narrowed eyes. "What's the matter, Namine? Have I done something wrong?" He said in a pouty voice, and Namine held up the shirt she had been trying to wash. "I can't get the stain out of this." She tried, and Marluxia tutted, shaking his head as he looked at the shirt in front of him. "I think that I have some extra strength washing liquid in a drawer upstairs. I'll get it."

As he went up the stairs, he poked his head back down at her lewdly. "And, Namine?" He said, and the girl looked up at him. "We'll be having guests over next week."

"Why?" Namine asked, and Marluxia chuckled. "I'm testifying for Axel, remember?" He chuckled, and grinned at her. "Me and the imaginary security tapes." He chuckled, and Namine looked up at him with a confused expression. "What do I care, though? He can't touch me with my 'protection'. We'll have to keep the noise to a minimum, though, the nights that the police are here, won't we?" he sneered lewdly, and Namine's heart sank. "Yeah." She said half- heartedly, and Marluxia hummed as he went up to get the cleaning liquid.

Namine heard a knock on the door, and Marluxia called down for her to get it. So, she abandoned the clothes she had been washing, and went and opened the door. She was surprised to see Aqua standing in front of her with a hard expression. "Can I help you?" Namine asked, and Aqua nodded.

"I'd just like to ask a question, Namine." Aqua said, and Namine looked on curiously. "Do you know if Marluxia has security tapes from when Axel was with Organization Thirteen?"

Aqua wasn't surprised when Namine shook her head. "He lied about the tapes." Namine replied, and Aqua nodded, pursing her lips. Then, she looked up at Namine brightly. "If Marluxia and Larxene happen not to testify for Axel, would you do it?" She asked, and Namine shook her head sadly. "Marluxia wouldn't let me."

"Why not? You're entitled to do what you want." Aqua said, and then she pursed her lips. "Don't tell me that Marluxia is using you in some way, too?" She asked, and Namine shrank back a little bit.

Aqua tried to backtrack, shaking her head and waving her hands in front of her. "No, no, no! I didn't mean it to scare you! I'm sorry I was so forward…" She blabbered on, and Namine stopped her. "I'm not doing this for myself. It's to protect someone else." Namine said shakily. "If it wasn't for someone else, I'd be long gone."

Aqua looked at her incredulously, and then sighed. "You know, I thought I was helping someone once, too? And I just ended up hurting them and myself. Don't get stuck. If you need help, I'm here. Please, think about helping Axel." Aqua said with the slightest bow, and Namine smiled a little bit.

"Who's here?" Marluxia asked, putting on the 'loving father' act, and Aqua narrowed her eyes at him darkly. "This is Aqua." Namine responded, and Marluxia nodded.

"Ah, yes, Axel's attorney. I remember you. What is it that you need?" Marluxia asked, and Aqua smiled. "Axel said that you had some tapes? I was just wondering if we could get a look at them." Aqua asked out right, and Marluxia smiled at her.

"I don't have them here. I put them in a place for safekeeping." He added, winking, and Aqua tried not to wrinkle her nose in disgust. "A-hah." She said, and nodded, trying to put on a smile. "Well, maybe we can get those taken care of sometime this week?" Aqua asked, and Marluxia nodded. "Most certainly." He responded, bowing deeply, and then Aqua left, and Marluxia closed the door.

"She is an interesting woman." Marluxia said as he went into the kitchen, and Namine thought about what Aqua had said.

…

Xion walked out of Roxas' house, and down the road to Yen Sid's tower, where her 'transportation' to the airport was waiting for her.

As she trudged up to the tower, she was surprised to meet with Riku. "Hey." She said, and he smiled. "Hey."

"Sorry about the fighting yesterday." Xion said sheepishly, and Riku laughed. "I'm just as much to blame as you are. I was just sulking. Sorry." He added, and Xion smiled at him brightly.

"Are you going off on a journey?" Riku asked, and Xion nodded. "How about you?"

"I'm going for training- for the Mark Of Mastery Exam."

"That's cool."

"Yeah, it's exciting." Riku nodded, and Xion sighed.

As she went up to the tower, she noticed the black car parked outside, and a large, tan bald man waiting outside for her. "I guess that's my bodyguard." She said to herself, and Riku looked at her in surprise.

"I'm Rude." The man said shortly, and Xion nodded. "I know. I've heard about you."

"Shall we?" The man inquired, pointing towards Yen Sid's tower. Yen Sid insisted on grilling Rude one more time before they left, so he'd invited them to lunch before they left.

"We shall." Xion replied breathlessly, and walked into the tower with Riku and Rude.

…


	12. Friends

Lightning sat on the edge of Reno's desk, nodding to herself. "I'm not gonna say I told you so, but…"

"You told me so." Reno finished for her, and she shrugged, looking off into the distance with tired eyes. The lack of sleep was finally beginning to show, and she rubbed at her eyelids, sighing. "This case is going nowhere." She added, and Reno snorted. "Don't I know it."

"Zack Fair is in again." Max popped his head in, and Reno nodded, waving him off. "Fine, fine, we'll interrogate him again in a moment."

The two investigators looked at one another for a moment, and then sighed heavily, and trudged out of the office and towards the interrogation room. Reno looked at the picture of the hand of Cetra one more time before he left the room, and Lightning rolled her eyes at him.

"Let go of that stupid picture!" She snapped. Reno looked up at her indignantly as Zack shuffled into the room. "It's like a good luck charm now!" Reno defended, and Lightning snorted. "It's just a picture!"

"It's more than just a picture to me now!"

Lightning finally gave in to her emotions, and stamped her foot on the ground angrily. "What the hell is a picture of a 'Cetra's hand' gonna do for our investigation? Give us luck? My _ass!" _She snapped, and stomped towards Zack, trying to pull herself together.

"What did you just say?" Zack breathed in a distant way, and Lightning chuckled. "Did you hear that 'hands of the Cetra's' rant?" She asked grandly, still irritated, and Zack looked at her with a strange expression. "Sorry about that." She finished, and then she narrowed her eyes at the man in front of her. "Is there something wrong with you?" She asked, and Zack blinked out at her with furrowed eyebrows, not knowing quite what to say.

"What did you just say?" He asked again, and Lightning rolled her eyes. "There is something wrong with him. He seems like he's high. He's not fit for an interrogation." She snapped. "Call the paramedics."

Reno thought for a moment, and then something clicked in his mind, and he ran over to Zack with the picture. "She said 'hands of the Cetra's'." Reno commented loudly, and Zack went out of it again. "It's the words." Reno said incredulously, and Max chuckled.

"What, 'hands of the Cetra's'?"

Zack's knees buckled, and he swayed a little bit before catching himself. "Stop saying that!" He barked, and Max grinned slyly. "hands of the Cetra's?" He asked innocently, and Zack swayed again.

"Max, stop messing with him." Reno snapped, and Max shrugged. "Let me have my fun, huh? It's been like a dungeon down here for ages now."

Reno looked down at the picture again, and he looked back up at Zack. Then, he gasped, and stared over at Lightning with excitement. "The picture!" He said, and Lightning raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "What? Tell me, Reno!" She snapped, and Reno prepared himself for his little victory speech.

"I knew that the picture was important- I knew it and you just ignored me. But, we see now- this is gonna give us something- something big. Something huge! And I'm gonna-"

"Get on with it!" Everyone said collectively, and Reno rolled his eyes, deciding to get to the point.

"Fine, fine… anyway, it's obvious that Zack had his memory taken from him by some kind of hypnosis. When you said 'hands of the Cetra's'- that was the word code to unlock his memories!"

"So those words must have been something that was said to him…"

Reno thought for a moment, and then he led Zack and the others towards the investigation room. "Lightning, come in with me." Reno said urgently, and Lightning nodded. Max and Kid stood outside, watching eagerly as Reno and Lightning questioned Zack. Lightning decided to start off.

"Um… Zack. I know now that you've had your memory wiped at some point- we just don't know what that point is. So we're going to try to find out. Would you like to find out?" She asked, and Zack nodded.

"Of course!"

"Okay then… do you remember anything about the words 'hand's of the Cetra's'? Do you remember someone saying that to you?"

Zack thought for a moment, and then his eyes went wide, as he began to remember. "It was… Sephiroth. I think Sephiroth said that to me."

"How did you feel at the time?" Lightning added, and Zack shrugged, trying hard to remember it. "I was confused… it was dark… and I was frightened … He knew something, but I didn't… and for the first time… that scared me…" He pieced together, and Reno thought he had the slightest idea what he was talking about.

"What was Sephiroth to you?"

"He was a first class SOLDIER. He was a hero to all of us in the military organization… it's complicated…"

"I have files on it that you can read." Reno commented, and Lightning sighed. "I read them. There was only one sentence describing Sephiroth. It said that he was a commander on a mission to Nibelhiem, and Zack was one of the agents sent with him."

"Yeah, he died saving people from the fire that engulfed the city." Reno added, and suddenly, Zack chuckled bitterly, shaking his head. "Some hero." He muttered. Reno blinked at him for a moment. Then, things began to click in his mind. "I think this is the key to snaring Sephiroth." He breathed, and Lightning smiled. "And if we've got Sephiroth..."

"…We've got the people behind all of this." Reno finished, and then, he grinned at Zack.

"Does this picture, by any chance, spring anything to mind?" he asked loudly, and shoved the picture in Zack's face.

"Wait, you have to expose the patient to samples of the memory one at a time, not all at once, he'll-!"

Before Lightning could say anything else, Zack gave a groan, and slumped over out of the seat, and onto the floor. Reno gasped, and charged over to him, feeling his pulse.

"Good news- he's not dead. Just out cold."

"He may be in a coma, you idiot!" Lightning barked, and Reno rolled his eyes. "There was only one picture! What did you want me to do? Rip it up and have him piece it together like a puzzle?"

"Well, I'm not the expert. Maybe if you had given us time to get one _in, _this wouldn't have happened!"

"We don't have time to get an expert in!"

"And we definitely don't have time to wait for Zack to come out of a coma!"

"He might not even be in a coma!"

Max interrupted Lightning and Reno's argument with a loud cough. "Um… he's not waking up."

Lightning looked at Reno triumphantly, and Reno rolled his eyes, and then waggled his finger at her. "Why are you so satisfied with that statement? It's a catastrophe!"

"It's _your _catastrophe." She corrected and Reno shrugged, huffing loudly. "Minor details." He muttered, and then rubbed his eyes, thinking of a way out of the guilt. "But, on the other hand, he can't go on trial while he's ill." He piped up. Lightning sighed, thinking about it. "That is true. But he may be out of the coma by the day of."

"The trial is tomorrow!" Reno snorted, and Lightning shrugged. "He may recover quickly."

Reno pursed his lips. "Well, I guess we'll just have to hope for the best. He needs recovery days too, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, that is true."

"So, we'll just ask for a few more days- tell them he's gone into a stress induced coma- which technically, it is."

"I think it's more shock than stress, Reno." Lightning explained. "Hundreds of strands of memories just streamed back to him- they're obviously painful ones, too. It'd be like being hit by a truck- only, mentally."

Reno looked at her for a moment, and narrowed his eyes. "Who made you the expert?"

"It's common sense." Lightning snapped.

They both stood there for a moment, waiting for the other to attack, but Max went in between them to allay the situation. "I think… that we are all very, very tired. And very, very irritated with each other. So… I say… we all get some sleep- like Zack is doing right now… and then come back tomorrow, and act like we're over 12 years old."

Lightning put her head down in embarrassment, and Reno rolled his eyes, muttering to himself.

…

Xion sat on the plane in excitement, never having gone beyond The Planet before. Rude was dozing off beside her, and he was jogged awake by a little bit of turbulence. There was the sound of tinkling laughter behind them, and as Xion turned her head, she noticed that the flight attendants were coming down the aisles with snacks.

"Round Corn chips?" the flight attendant asked with a polished smile, and Xion looked at the small bag in the woman's hand. "Sure." She said, and the flight attendant handed her the bag. When the flight attendant asked Rude if he wanted some, he shook his head sternly, and tried to doze off again.

"This _is _an adventure!" Xion sighed giddily, and Rude opened one eye to look over at her. "Are you awake?" Xion asked quietly, and Rude nodded, turning around. "You excited?" Xion asked. Rude shrugged. It was apparent that he didn't say much.

"Well, I am. I feel really strongly that something huge is going to come out of all this." She sighed, looking out the window again. As she took a bite of her chips, she smiled, and handed the bag to Rude. "Here, try some. They're really good."

Rude looked at her for a moment, and then gave in and took a chip.

"Oh my gosh, look out the window!" Xion chirped, looking around Rude and out the window again. "Look at that! It's beautiful… it's like the way the world would have been before humans came…"

They were flying over Gran Pulse, and Xion gasped as she looked at what was below her. She wondered if anywhere in her region was as beautiful as this.

Her eyes widened again when she saw the large settlement materializing below her. In it was located New Bodhum and Academia. A battered Cocoon hung overhead.

"It's weird to think that just a little while ago a war went on here." Xion whispered, and Rude chuckled a little bit to himself. "Sorry." Xion said sheepishly, and Rude waved her off. "You didn't say anything wrong."

Xion looked at him in surprise for a moment, and then smiled to herself, satisfied with herself for getting him to say something.

The captain came on the speaker to tell everyone that they were landing, and to turn off all electrical devices for the decent. Then, the airhostesses went back to their seats to take a rest before the plane landed.

The plane went into the opening in Cocoon's side, and landed on a small military platform in Hanging Edge that had recently been turned into an airport. Until recently, Cocoon had controlled much more heavily the influx of people coming into its borders. Visitors on business trips and new university students were allowed in, but the application to live in the country had been long and tedious, and vacationers had had to fill out endless paper work. Now, though, thousands of people visited the country, and the airport was having trouble compensating. The little runway was filled with planes, and Xion looked on in wonder as people stepped off the plane and walked towards the airport with their bags.

As the plane landed, Rude gripped the sides of his seat, and Xion sat back and closed her eyes, imagining what it would be like inside Cocoon.

The airhostess came up on the intercom to welcome everyone, and Xion opened her eyes again. "Thank you all for flying with us! On behalf of all Planet Air, have a wonderful day in Cocoon!"

Then, the girl and her bodyguard stood up, got their bags, and excited the airplane. As Xion had seen before hand, everyone descended metal steps off the plane, and onto the ground below. The airport had been created out of a few of the old buildings in the Hanging Edge, and Xion blinked as she looked around her, at all the metal and concrete surrounding her. It was amazing how much of a contradiction the place was. The unused parts of the city were still in absolute ruins, but the area surrounding the airport was built up tremendously, made to look as welcoming as possible for all the inflowing visitors.

"Where do you want to go first?" Rude said quietly, and Xion sighed, thinking. "I want to go to L'Academie first. I want to know why they don't have her birth certificate." Xion said simply. Rude looked down at her in confusion, and she realized that he had not been told much about where he was going. "How did you get to know King Mickey?" Xion asked, and Rude smiled a little bit.

"I work for the Investigation Bureau now."

"Do you work for the one in Midgar?"

"No. I work in the head office in your region."

"With Sora's dad?"

"Yes. I'm in his department."

Xion nodded, and blew out a deep breath. "Wow."

Rude looked at her for a moment, then pointed towards baggage claim. "Shall we?" he said. Xion nodded quickly and they went through, got their bags, and exited the airport. Rude hailed a cab, and as they got inside, the man asked where they wanted to go.

"Eden!" Xion piped up immediately, and the taxi driver nodded and began to drive. "So is this your first time visit to Cocoon?" He asked politely. Xion and Rude nodded slowly.

"So, off to Eden, hah? The capitol! Now, you all might be a little put off- there was a war here a few years ago, so some places have changed a little bit. The map is different now, to say the least." He chuckled loudly, expecting a laugh from the back. When none came, he nodded to himself, and his laughing trailed off as he concentrated more on the road.

Xion stared out the window as they drove towards Eden, noticing all the highways running through the forgotten city. A chill ran down her spine as she noticed the wrecks of multiple trains in a crevice below a highway with an enormous hole blasted through it. Multiple other highways had been destroyed, and Xion felt the slightest bit of safety as she gripped the sides of her seat slightly. She couldn't wait to get out of this place.

"You okay?" The driver shouted towards the backseat, and Xion nodded, trembling a little bit. "I told you things were different. But we're totally fine." He reassured. "I've been through this place hundreds of time and nothing bad has happened to me!" As he said this, Xion noticed a bit of the highway they were on was rusting very, very badly. At another point, some of the concrete on the highway crumbled and fell off.

They drove for a few more hours, and as they got out of Hanging Edge and into the other parts of Cocoon, Xion finally fell asleep. When she woke up, the high rising buildings in Palumpolum greeted her. Then, she gasped. "Hey, that's the Guardian Academy!" She squealed, and Rude looked out the window. "Yep. Best defense academy in the world. Someone you know go there?"

As Xion stared out the window, she thought of Riku. "They want to go there."

The driver snorted, and shook his head. "Fat chance of that. They have to be valedictorian, have to have gotten a certain score on the mark of mastery exam, have to have _really _good recommendations…"

Xion looked up in horror. "They have to have _all _of those things?"

"Well, that's what I've _heard. _This is an international school! They're picking the best of the best… and, of course, Cocoon residents get special preference. And, they supposedly take a lot of people from 'troubled' regions."

"What about The World?" Xion asked and the driver chuckled. "You mean the region with the Investigation Bureau, and King Mickey, and Yen Sid? That place is puppies and smiles compared to here! Or the Planet… now _that_ place has problems…"

Xion felt an ache in her heart for Riku. She didn't know anything about how good he had been in school, he wasn't from Cocoon, and he wasn't in a 'troubled' region. So what did he have?

"There's a railway that goes through Palumpolum and up to Eden- I'll leave you right outside the station- be careful, a few parts of it are a little bit sketchy."

"The station?" Xion asked, and the driver snorted. "Well, that too, but I meant Eden."

As the car pulled up to the train station, Xion got a chance to really look up at Eden. It was hanging from the sky precariously, held up by steel pillars and concrete slabs.

"Are you sure this is safe?" Xion implored quietly, and the driver snorted again. "Don't worry about it." He reassured her, but Xion didn't feel any calmer than she had before.

Rude paid the driver, and they went towards the train station to buy their tickets into Eden. Xion was about to pay some of the money she had that was left over from when she stayed with Namine, but all Rude had to do was show the desk worker a paper with King Mickey's official seal on it, and they were both through free. "Would you like a full compartment?" the woman asked a little nervously, and Rude shook his head. "We don't need one."

As the train rattled along the rails, Xion and Rude sat silently, watching the other passengers in their train compartment. There were few people on the train; Eden apparently wasn't as popular as it used to be. The train made its way up the steep tracks leading up to the entrance into Eden.

"Did you ever believe that you'd be going here?" Xion asked Rude, but the man shrugged. "I go a lot of places. This is just another place to me."

Xion pursed her lips and stared out the window again, watching as the battered buildings below disappeared and gave way to the numerous clouds surrounding a precariously hanging Eden. She could see the thousands of steel pillars holding it up from here.

Then, finally, the doors opened, and the conductor came up on the intercom. "Welcome to Eden." He said simply, and Xion and Rude got off the train. As the two walked around, Xion's eyes became wider and wider with wonder for the place around her. For some reason, there were many empty zoos around, and the girl raised her eyebrows in surprise every time she saw one. "Do you know why they have so many zoos?" Xion asked curiously, and Rude looked around him for the first time.

"When the war ended, somehow the wildlife from Pulse was transported into Eden. The people didn't mean for it to happen, but it did. I can't remember how." Rude stated matter-of-factly. "They had to get rid of them- and they couldn't get rid of all of it at once, so they put them all in zoos." He said, with a hint of a smile at the absurdity of it.

"Wow. That is kind of strange." Xion chuckled, and then sighed. "They must have gotten a lot of them out by now."

Rude shrugged. "I'd still be careful. There may still be a few creatures lurking in corners."

As they continued to walk towards their destination, Xion was _very _careful to keep in close to crowded areas (there weren't very many), and Rude tried not to smile.

When they finally got to L'Académie, Xion gave a cry of delight, and walked very quickly towards the entrance in deep excitement. Rude trudged behind her, not particularly caring of where they were going at all.

They went into the _very _expansive, _very _old lobby, and Xion's mouth dropped open as she looked around her. "This place never fails to amaze." She said quietly, and Rude tried to remember a day when Midgar had failed to disappoint him.

"Excuse me." The lobbyist called over to them in a posh accent. "But, are you here to visit someone, or just take a look around."

Rude stood tight-lipped in the corner while Xion tried to explain. "Well, we're kind of here to visit…"

"Visiting hours are over." The lobbyist said flatly, and Xion shut her mouth and looked at the woman with big eyes. The woman only stared down coldly at her, so Xion appealed to Rude for help with a pleading expression. The man walked over with a slightly threatening gait, and the woman at the desk shuffled uncomfortably in her seat.

Just as Rude was about to say something, there was a slightly over done gasp of surprise from behind them, and when the two looked around, they noticed a very tall, domineering (and slightly overweight) woman coming towards them, gracefully gliding along the ground. The only dint on her over all air was a slight rasp in her throat, which led Xion to believe that the woman smoked a lot.

"Welcome to our school!" the woman gushed, shaking Rude's hand daintily. Rude tried not wrinkle his nose. He hated insincere handshakes. "Now, what is it I may help you with?" The woman bubbled, and Rude stepped forward. "I find it interesting that there is an emergency button on the reception desk. More so, I also find it interesting that it was utilized in this case."

It took everything in Xion not to clap her hand to her forehead in embarrassment, but Rude just continued to look at the lobbyist who was continuously going redder and redder in the face.

"Excuse me." The tall woman said sternly, and Rude turned to face her. "The lobbyist was one of my former students. She is a lady, and sometimes ladies feel threatened by large, muscular and slightly domineering men." She pontificated, and Rude smiled without realizing it, again amused by what he thought was absolutely absurd in the woman's statement. "Our definitions of a lady are very different." Rude said simply, and the woman narrowed her eyes at him. Xion took this as her time to step into the situation, and she did, stepping in between Rude and the woman in front of him.

"The point of our visit was to look around the school!" Xion tried, and the woman looked down at her in suspicion. Xion tried to bend her head a little bit, hoping that the woman didn't recognize her, because Xion suddenly recognized the woman. It was the headmaster who had testified at the trial where Namine and Xion were judged to be fourteen years old.

"Is this man your father?" the headmaster asked, and Xion nodded. "How old are you, young lady?" she said, and Xion gulped. "Fifteen." She said, and the woman tutted in slight disapproval. "It's a little old, but if you work hard, we can probably whip you into shape by the time you must go into the world."

Xion rolled her eyes when the headmaster couldn't see, and trudged along after her, forced into an impromptu tour of the facilities.

"This is the science lab, and this is the painting studio, and this is the coffee corner- that's new. The girls are allowed two trips a week, so they don't get fat." She explained quite seriously, and Rude and Xion found themselves smiling again. "This is the math section of the school- we don't concentrate very much on math here- that's a man's domain." Xion's eyes nearly bugged out of her head, and Rude eyed the headmaster with a very, very disapproving look. "Did you ever think that you were out of touch with present times in this environment?" Rude said flatly, and there was tinkling laughter from the headmaster. "Oh, I think old fashioned is making a resurgence, here. Maybe the war was a good thing."

"Yet you are moving the school down to Pulse?" Rude added, and the woman and Xion whipped around in surprise as Rude pointed to the large design of the new school, in the location of 'New Eden, Pulse.'

"Ah, yes. Well, Eden isn't really the paradise it once was. It isn't _safe _for young ladies here anymore. And with the capitol hanging out of the sky, it's-"

"-I thought that Academia was the new capitol." Xion piped up, and the woman looked around at her harshly. "Watch your tongue." She snapped sharply, and Rude put his hand on Xion's shoulder as the headmaster looked up at him. "Cheeky girls are not welcome here. Spunk is different, but cheekiness- that is not a welcome trait in this school."

There was silence for a moment as they walked down the halls, but then the headmaster broke it, trying to instill polite conversation. "We are going to be moving the school to New Eden- it hasn't been discussed extensively yet by the board, but we are all planning to move the whole city down to Pulse, and start a new. We, for one, are taking the school pillar by pillar and building it just the way it used to be during and before the War Of Transgression."

"It's that old?" Xion said quietly, and it was obvious that the headmaster did not appreciate the interruption. "Yes, it is that old. It is six hundred years old." The woman snapped, and Xion shut her mouth again.

"Can we walk around some more? Get a feel for the place?" Rude asked, and the headmaster looked up at him with raised eyebrows. "You mean, talk to the teachers and such?"

"Exactly."

"Well, alright. Most of them are still packing up, hurry if you want to catch them." She said begrudgingly, then added, in an amused way "the math section is down that way- you may want to check that one first." Then, she was gone, and Xion mimed putting her finger in her throat.

"She's not that bad." Rude tried, but even he didn't believe his own words.

"She's a snake. No wonder Namine hated her. I wonder what Namine was like before she went to this school."

Rude stayed silent behind her, as they rounded the corner towards the infirmary. "Where are we going?" Rude asked in puzzlement, and Xion pointed towards the doctor's office. "We're going to see the doctor who pronounced Namine and I fourteen."

The doctor was seated in his office, doing paper work and occasionally typing on the computer, when Xion and Rude walked in. "Hello." Xion said sharply, and the man looked up at her, immediately recognizing her. "Well, hello. You're the little girl who went to court with Namine. How sweet. Have you found a suitable foster home yet?" He said in a cold, detached way, and Xion pursed her lips. "It's funny that I've apparently been going to school since I was born." Xion cut in, and the man looked up at her in surprise.

"If I am fourteen right now, and have been going to school for fourteen years- well, you're a doctor, you can do the math- right?" Xion asked sweetly, and the man smiled at her. "You may have skipped a few grades. Orphans who have disappeared for a long time tend to have gone through traumatic events that render them incapable of remembering certain sore spots in their lives, if you will." The doctor explained.

Xion looked at him blankly, and then sighed. "Wouldn't Namine's school have her birth certificate? Especially if she was living here?"

The doctor chuckled, and looked at her in slight irritation. "We do not have her birth certificate. We never did. We assumed that she did not have one."

Rude and Xion looked at the man for a moment, and him back at them, before they realized that he was not going to be giving them any answers. So, they nodded, and left the infirmary empty handed. Xion fumed as they went, shaking her head sourly.

"I can't believe that they don't have _anything _on Namine! They're trying to hide everything! Why did they hate her so much?"

"Namine?" said a confused voice behind the girl and man, and the two whipped around to see who was talking to them.

There was a tall, handsome looking man of about forty, blinking back at them in surprise and confusion. "Is that _you?_" He asked in disbelief, and Xion felt a foreboding feeling creep over her. "No, I'm not Namine. I'm her friend. Did you know her?" Xion asked, and the man's face contorted with rage. Then, almost instantly, the anger vanished, replaced by a cool and collected calm. "I did. She was a former student of mine. I paid for a trip for her to go to the Planet. See a taste of history and culture from another region. She threw it back in my face."

He looked back expectantly at Xion, and raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to hear more?" He asked, and Xion shrugged. "I suppose so."

Rude held onto her in deep discomfort, but Xion brushed him off against her own better judgment. "I'm alright."

The man looked up at Rude, and then back at Xion, and walked with her, away from Rude, who stood stock straight behind them, getting smaller and smaller in the distance, until Xion and the teacher rounded a corner.

"Namine was a student of mine. She was very unruly; she was never following directions, always got in trouble. I heard rumors that her mother was a whore. And that her father committed suicide when she was young." He mocked acidly, and Xion clenched her hands into fists, trying to hold back her anger. "But, I felt sorry for her, needless to say. She was such a pretty young girl." He said softly, licking his lips, and Xion's lips curled up in disgust. "So, I tried to help her, and I paid for a full trip for her to tour the Planet. In the art museum in Midgar, though, she disappeared. I was informed only recently that she was taken in by numerous 'foster' parents, and that she is still to this day causing trouble." He snarled as he led Xion into his classroom. "I have pictures of the trip."

Xion looked at the numerous pictures behind his desk, of girls on the annual trip to the Planet. The personal feel of the pictures disgusted her. Most of them depicted one girl, and it seemed like there weren't many others around, or if there were, it was solely focused on one girl. There were a few of Namine. They were all pictures of young girls.

Something ripped at Xion's heart, and she suddenly felt the almost unbearable urge to sob. Some of the girls in the pictures had such hollow eyes. When Xion was out on her own, especially in the likes of Midgar, she was constantly running from men like this. Her blood began to boil, and she thought of how she had run straight into the arms of Sephiroth, and let him do whatever he wanted to her.

"You remind me of her. Of Namine." The man said softly, and unthinkingly stroked the back of Xion's shoulder. She jerked back instinctively, and put her hands in front of her defensively. "Who the hell do you think you are?" She snapped, and the man smiled a little slyly, and began to play with Xion's hair. "You're so much like her. Without the black hair, tan skin, and attitude, you could be her." Without thinking, Xion slapped the man in the face, and he reeled back in surprise.

"You have no right to touch me." Xion snarled. The man looked up at her in extreme anger. "I can touch whoever the hell I want!" the man sneered, lunging at Xion in a rage. She dodged him easily, and sprang back as he crashed into a few of the desks in front of him. Then, she ran towards the door, not bothering to look behind her, when she lost her footing. There was a doorstop in the shape of a bouquet of flowers behind her, kicked over by her foot. Then, she felt the man on top of her, and she screamed out as loudly as she could, before he punched her in the face.

"Why are girls these days so loud?" he breathed out heavily. "Fifteen years ago, they _never _would have screamed like this. You sound like a banshee." He chuckled, and Xion spat in his face.

Xion kicked him, and just as he tried to kiss her, Rude charged in through the door, and picked the man up by his hair. The man screamed loudly, and punched Rude hard in the face. As Rude reeled back a little, he touched his face, which was bleeding.

"You just assaulted an Investigation Bureau agent, and one of the King's Knights." Rude said darkly, and the man's eyes became like two big saucers. "And you have attempted to rape, and assaulted a girl of fourteen." He added, and the man wailed a little bit. "I didn't do anything wrong! My anger just got away from me! It's been a bad year for me! My wife left me!"

"Yeah, I wonder why." Rude growled sardonically as he lead the man out of the room. Xion stayed behind for a moment, before wiping her eyes, and following Rude out.

As they headed down the hall, they noticed the headmaster running towards them in a fit of rage. "What in the hell is going on?" She screeched, and Rude showed her his badge. "You have not right to arrest one of our star teachers!" the woman roared, and Rude clapped his hand on her shoulder. "Watch yourself. You're talking to an police agent."

"I know that you're a crony for the Investigation Bureau! We've had them on our backs for years- something about 'psychotically damaging young girls' and such. Plain and utter rubbish!" She barked, and sighed heavily, trying to get back her breath. "I don't care of you're the king of the World!" she added, and Rude raised an eyebrow. "You don't care if I'm a King's Knight?" he added, and the woman clapped her mouth shut.

"You- _you're _one of King Mickey's _Knights_?" she blubbered, and Rude nodded. "And I'd be happy to shut you down for what happened to my friend."

The headmaster looked at Xion, and finally recognized her. "I always thought that witches were a game played on youngsters who didn't do what they were told. But ever since I met Namine, I knew that they were real." She said, and then bent close to Xion's ear. "And you're one too!" she hissed.

Rude grabbed Xion away from the woman, who hopped back, and fluffed up her hair innocently as if nothing had happened. "Safe trip." The woman said flatly, and Rude didn't respond.

When they got out of the school, there was already a police car waiting for them. Rude threw the man in it, and they went down to the police station, where Xion told the policemen what happened to her. Afterwards, they went out of the police station, and Rude patted Xion's shoulder absentmindedly. "I'm sorry I didn't come in sooner." He said in a defeated way, but Xion shook her head. "It wasn't your fault. There wouldn't have been a good reason to arrest him if you had have come in earlier."

A great number of cars were being parked outside the police station, and Xion noticed that they were all news station cars, obviously informed of the new 'story'. But, there was one car that was different from the rest.

It was a small, very sleek black car with heavily tinted windows. Rude noticed that a chauffer drove the car when one of the passengers opened the door, and got out.

A handsome young man who looked about 20 years old walked towards them, and Xion was struck by how much he looked like Riku. Not just his silver hair and blue green eyes, but his strong, in charge appearance reminded her of her friend.

"Hello." He said shortly, bowing to Rude and Xion. "I was informed that one of the Knights of the King was in Eden, and that you were treated with extreme incivility. My father apologizes on behalf of all of Cocoon and Pulse." He continued, and looked around uncomfortably at all the news cars that were surrounding the area. Then, the young man quickly pulled out an ID, and it seemed as if Rude was impressed; he nodded and bowed back deeply in respect.

"If you both wouldn't mind, my father would like to host you at his home. It is a great honor to have such an esteemed individual in our midst. How long are you staying here?" The young man asked politely, and Rude looked at Xion for an answer. "We were planning on leaving for Jazzo tonight." She said simply.

The young man looked deeply humiliated. "I am very sorry for what happened to you. I cannot believe that a man like that is teaching young girls."

"You might want to take a look into the whole school in general." Rude added, and the man nodded vigorously. "We overlooked complaints in the past. I- I have nothing to say. I apologize."

"It's alright." Xion said. "It's not your fault."

"It's very difficult, rebuilding a nation. Sometimes you miss things…" The man said quietly, prompting Xion to raise her eyebrows in surprise. "_You're_ rebuilding the nation?" she gasped, and the man shrugged. "My father is the founder of the new government here- the Academy. We're trying our best to facilitate the creation of a better nation. It is hard, but we're doing our best." He chuckled.

Then, he ducked his head a little bit when he saw a news reporter looking in his direction. "Um, would you two like to accompany me in my car? I apologize for the rush, I would just prefer not to be caught in a frenzy of cameras and microphones." He said sheepishly, but Rude waved him off, and Xion smiled a little bit. "We don't either."

With that said, they all hopped into the car, and started to drive off.

"What's your name?" Xion asked curiously. "It's Hope Eistheim." He replied, and Xion nodded, continuing to look out the window as they headed towards the airport.

"It's just too bad." Xion mumbled, her voice shaky with anger. "What's too bad?" Rude replied, and Xion turned to him with a shaking head. "That guy will be out of jail in a heartbeat. He hardly did anything to me."

"I know what he was about to do."

"Yeah, he was about to kiss me. And assaulting a police officer… how long will he stay in for, for that?"

Rude shrugged, and pursed his lips. "Shorter than he deserves."

As Xion processed this, she banged her head against the window softly in frustration. Her eyes teared up when she thought about Namine. He must have done something terrible to her for her to want to run away from the school.

"But don't worry, Xion. This isn't the end of things."

"Why not."

Rude looked out the window at the news cars that disappeared behind them, and then looked back at Xion with the slightest smile. "I gave the police the go ahead to put the story out."

Xion blinked for a moment, nodding to herself. "So they'll sensationalize it?"

Rude nodded. "And it's a proved fact that people come forward if there are others to back them up." He added. "Guys like this don't just strike once."

"Will I have to go to court against him?" Xion suddenly said in anxiety, and Rude shrugged. "Unless you want him acquitted, yes."

"But I promised that I'd go back for Axel's trial!" She said in worry. "I need to get back to Namine! This will mess up the whole trip!" She said in deep frustration.

Rude sighed. "Don't worry. I'll take care of it."

…

Riku waited outside Roxas' house awkwardly, waiting until someone answered the door. When no one did, he assumed that there wasn't anyone there, and he decided to go over to Yen Sid's place again. Just as he began to go down the steps, though, the door opened, and Roxas answered it. He didn't look too pleased.

"What's the matter?" Riku asked, and Roxas rolled his eyes and shook his head, obviously not wanting to elaborate. "Am I stepping in on something?" Riku asked sternly, and Roxas shook his head again. "No. It's just not really a good time right now." He mumbled, clearly upset. "What is _wrong?_"

"Xion just upped and left, and now Ventus is missing and my parents are worried." Roxas responded simply. Riku sighed. "Sorry."

"It's fine. He's just such a… _handful. _Everything that's going on right now is a handful." Then, he took a deep breath and put on a smile. "But, it's okay. I'm just worrying myself again over something that's not… my fault…" he trailed off, and Riku wondered if Roxas _did _think that it was his fault.

"I can try to find Ventus." Riku volunteered, and Roxas snorted. "I have no idea where he is, let alone if he'll even come back. He's been in a terrible mood lately."

Riku nodded and turned to go, waving as he went. "See ya." He called as he walked away, and he heard the door shut behind him. For some reason, Riku had a feeling that Ventus was sitting up at the clock tower. So, he decided to go up there. Then, he began to hurry a little bit when he remembered how messed up Ventus was and how high up he would be in the air.

As the line of trees thinned, Riku looked up at the clock tower, and saw that there was in fact someone sitting down on top of it. He bent his head low in order to sneak up to it, and mounted the stairs quickly, not stopping for a break. By the time he got to the top of the stairs, he was breathing hard, but he tried to get control of his breathing, and when he did, he opened the door as quietly as he could, and took a seat beside Ventus.

The two sat in silence for a moment, and then Ventus broke it, chuckling. "Is Roxas worried about me?"

"He's more so just irritated with you." Riku responded flatly. "Everyone is, a little bit."

Ventus chuckled bitterly, and shook his head. "Whatever. I don't care."

There was silence again, and then Ventus looked over the edge of the tower, and Riku's muscles tensed subconsciously.

"You scared for me?" Ventus asked, and Riku shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant.

"I wonder if anyone would care if I was dead, you know?" Ventus said serenely, and Riku tried not to sigh. Ventus stayed motionless for a moment, but then his face contorted into a grimace, and he began to sob, hiding his face in his hands. Riku looked on, dumbfounded, not really knowing what to do, but then he absentmindedly patted Ventus on the shoulder.

"I understand kind of how you feel." Riku said. "I used to hate myself a lot, too. That's why I was so crabby. But then I grew to accept myself-"

"No, that's not it!" Ventus said quietly, and wiped his eyes. "I've… I've done so many _awful _things…"

"What did you do now, Ventus?"

Ventus stayed silent for a minute, but then he looked at Riku with a scared expression. "I don't want you to hate me. You're the only person who seems to care about me anymore."

"Ventus, just tell me what you did."

"I…" he started, and then he put his head down. "I tried to rape Lea."

Riku shut his eyes in a tired way, and then looked at Ventus sternly. "Why the hell did you do that?" he snapped, and Ventus shrugged. "I don't know. I felt like it." He returned in the same tone. Riku pursed his lips, trying to think of a way not to make Ventus angry.

Then suddenly, Ventus looked up at Riku in desperation, and slinked over to him, half throwing himself at him. "What the hell, Ventus?" Riku barked, trying to shove the boy off of him as gently as he could. Ventus continued to try to press himself against Riku, who continued to struggle to push him away.

"You can do me, Riku." Ventus said in a panicked way, grabbing Riku's crotch and kissing under his jaw. "You can hurt me, if you want. I deserve it."

"You are a mess." Riku said in a pitying way, and Ventus' eyes got dark again as he glared at Riku, who looked straight back at him without fear. As they both looked at one another, Ventus' eyes softened. "You're the only person who can look me straight in the eye." He gulped, and then hugged Riku tightly. Riku rubbed his temple, exhausted already, and patted Ventus on the back before getting up again.

"Why don't we go home?" He said, smiling, and Ventus looked out on the horizon with a blank stare. "I don't want to go anywhere."

"Then do you want to go for a walk with me?" Riku tried.

Ventus eyed him for a moment nervously, as if to see if he was serious or not, and then shrugged. "Okay. I guess that would be alright."

They both walked towards Twilight Town quietly, and Ventus absentmindedly looked around, trailing his hands along the tops of bushes as they went through a small, dense bit of forest on their way past the mansion. The demolition crew hadn't come quite yet, and it still stood as it always did. It brought back so many memories for Riku.

"So, what are you going to do with your life once you get out of college?" Ventus asked Riku, who shrugged in response. "I guess that I'll become a 'guardian' of some sort." He said hopefully, and Ventus snorted. "What's a guardian?"

"A guardian of the peace- some type of defensive position. Like, an investigative position, or a military position that takes more than just _fighting_. There's science, and research for betterment. Just different ways of defending people, I suppose. And defending justice."

Ventus looked at Riku closely for a moment, and then raised his eyebrows, looking over at the mansion again as it disappeared behind them. "And that entices you?"

Riku thought about it for a moment and smiled. "Yeah, it does." He decided.

"You like 'helping' people, huh? You like being a leader in a crisis?"

"I've had to be a leader in a crisis multiple times. I don't necessarily like it, it just comes to me naturally now." Riku responded seriously. "I just want to be able to help people, I suppose."

"You want the praise?" Ventus murmured, and Riku chuckled, shaking his head and sighing.

"Well, I suppose you caught me. I guess human beings are attracted to what they never had."

"You feel unappreciated?" Ventus asked.

Riku pursed his lips, and looked away darkly. "It's hard being a shadow."

Ventus nodded, thinking. "So… you still like Sora? Even though he's constantly stealing your spotlight?" he added, and Riku folded his hands over his chest defensively, making Ventus point at him as if he'd figured out something huge.

"You see? You _hate _him, yet you still feel the undying need to _defend _him!" Ventus hissed. "Is this a ploy to get him to notice you?"

"I'm over Sora." Riku lied, and Ventus caught him. "Yeah right."

"Well, were you ever in love with someone?" Riku shot back at Ventus, who shrugged. "I guess I loved my friends." He murmured, and Riku smiled.

As wistful memories flooded back to Ventus, he looked out onto the horizon calmly. But, the more time passed, the darker his eyes became. "But they let me down." He finally said grimly. "Everyone let me down. And now I let everyone down."

"People don't expect much out of you anymore." Riku mumbled, and Ventus looked up at him in the panicky way that he had before. "I wanna go home." He whimpered desperately. "I don't want to _be _here with you people anymore!"

"You don't have a home to go back to, Ventus." Riku snapped in irritation. "You want to go back to a time in the past that was better- but the truth is, you've always been in trouble!" He continued, and didn't care as Ventus cowered back. He thought that the boy needed to hear what he was saying, needed to come to terms with himself. "You said so yourself- since you were born, you weren't right. Four years old, and you were experimented on by Xehanort. Beyond that, it's just gotten worse and worse- until now. And all the havoc you've wreaked since then has all been thrown back on you- and you need to take responsibility for it!" he said sternly. Then, he bent down close to Ventus, whose eyes looked hollow. "See, I don't think that you're a bad person at heart. You're trying to be heartless, because you think that this stupid chaotic, vengeful behavior is gonna make you numb- but you're _good, _Ventus!" Riku said desperately, taking Ventus' hands in his own. Ventus looked up at him with a strange expression.

"You're going to kill any shred of the old you that you had inside of you if you continue this stupid rampage. Why can't you just stop trying to be big and admit that you're mad as fuck."

Ventus tried to turn away from Riku, but the silver haired boy pulled him back and looked straight at him. Ventus avoided his gaze, and Riku snickered, shaking his head. "The boy who dared everyone to look into his eyes is backing down."

Ventus looked back at him with an expression like daggers, and bared his teeth. "What do you know?"

"You need help, Ventus. Why don't you be a man and admit it?" Riku shouted.

Ventus laughed at this, looking around as if looking for an audience. All the he got were the bats that hung around by the old mansion. "And you think that _you _can help _me?_ What a joke…"

"I'm not joking. I want to help you."

"I remind you of Sora. I'm just second."

Riku softened at this, and realized the potential reason why he had been so interested in Ventus. Like Roxas, there was something in Ventus that was alike to Sora. "Maybe you do remind me of my friend." Riku started softly, and Ventus looked over at him with suspicion. "Which is why it is such a pity to me that you are this messed up."

Ventus sighed. "Riku… I'll never be Sora. No one can be Sora. Just know that. You can't convert me. Especially after everything."

"I'm not trying to 'convert' you. I just wanted to help."

Ventus thought for a moment, and Riku began to worry as he noticed the smile creeping into the boy's features.

"Fair enough." Ventus chirped, and then stood up. "Well. If you want to help, you can start off by keeping me company tonight."

Riku's mouth slopped down into a frown, and he snorted in derision. "And where will I be keeping you company?" he said flatly, and Ventus shrugged. Then, his eyes lit up, and he smiled at Riku giddily, scaring the silver haired boy a little bit. He'd never seen Ventus so bright.

"We could stay in the mansion!" Ventus squealed, and Riku immediately shook his head. "No, no _way. _That place is up for demolition, and it used to be Namine's house. I'm not gonna… never mind." He muttered, and Ventus smiled to himself. "I'll just tell Roxas' parents that I'm sleeping over at your place, and you can tell your parents that you're sleeping over at ours. Or something along the lines of that."

Riku thought for a moment, and then remembered a very important fact. "Um, no." he said finally, and Ventus raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Why not?" He said in a contemptuous way, and Riku shook his head, refusing to talk about it. "You scared?" Ventus asked, but Riku didn't even give him a nod, or a shake of his head.

Ventus seemed to examine him for a moment, and then he grinned slyly. "Why are you so touchy all of a sudden? You seemed okay with the idea until just a second ago…"

"I just don't want to spend the night with you in a weird abandoned house!"

"Why not?"

"It's weird!"

"It's romantic!"

Riku sputtered for a moment, and then his cheeks became red as he thought about all of it. Why had he waited so long? Ventus was just going to laugh at him now. He should have gone to Axel while he had the chance.

"Riku, what are you thinking about?" Ventus asked quietly, and Riku felt an ache in his heart again. He'd had so many dreams of the way things were going to turn out for him. "I jut can't do this." Riku sighed, thinking about his mother and what he would say to her when he got home- if he did agree to stay the night with Ventus. He knew Ventus was lonely and messed up, but Riku didn't want to alienate his own family any more than he already had.

"I'm sorry, Ventus, but I just can't. I've got to go home."

Ventus' bright expression faded away, and he nodded brusquely, shoving his hands in his pockets and going up the steps of Roxas' parents house. Riku felt bad for leaving Ventus alone like this, so he sighed, and went up and grabbed the boy's shoulder. "Hey, here's my phone number if you need to call me." Riku gave Ventus his number, and the boy nodded, and scribbled down his own number on a piece of paper for Riku. "If you need to call me" he mumbled half heartedly, and Riku nodded, waved, and started off home as Ventus shut the door behind him.

Small droplets began to fall from the sky as he made his way home, and Riku sighed as he closed his eyes and turned his head up towards the sky. The world seemed to slow down around him, and he gulped as he thought about his situation in life. He'd been thinking about that all the time lately, and it was exhausting him worrying about it all the time. But he just couldn't stop. Right now, though, he couldn't help but feel like the foreboding presence surrounding him was different than his usual worrying. Something was about to happen.

When he got to the house, he knocked on the door, waiting for someone to answer. He began to worry a little bit when nobody answered the door, so he checked if his mother's car was in the driveway, and found that it was in fact sitting in the drive way, like it always did at 6 o'clock in the evening when she got home from work. What was going on?

Riku began to bang on the door, and then, he saw his brother trudge up to the door, and pat him on the shoulder.

"What the hell is going on?" Riku growled, and his brother sighed as if he was very tired. He was miles away from his usually happy-go-lucky state. "Mom's kicked you out." He said flatly, and Riku tried to stop himself from blowing up. "I haven't done anything wrong!" he snapped. "I've only gone so far as to kiss a boy!"

"I don't want you talking about it to me." His brother said lowly, and Riku pushed him a little bit.

"Why? Are you uncomfortable with me all of a sudden? Don't worry, you won't 'catch' anything. I'm not contagious."

"I know but… just, maybe you should give mom some time." His brother muttered, and Riku laughed bitterly. "And where the hell will I go in this 'time' your going on about?"

"I don't know, stay with your boyfriend." His brother snapped, and something inside Riku broke. "You know what?" he snarled. "I think that I will."

As Riku began to walk away, his brother turned back to him with a dark expression. "You better be nicer to me, cause I'm not planning on telling mom what you just told me."

"I'm gonna do him, Pieroki!" Riku shouted after his brother, and the boy behind him shook his head in frustration. "You always have to make things so complicated!" he muttered. "Just make things simple…."

Riku stomped away from his house as the rain poured down harder and harder, and he decided to call Ventus. The boy answered serenely, and a little smugly, to ask what was wrong.

"Nothing." Riku grumbled, and looked around him, and then in his pockets to see if he had any money left. "Have you eaten dinner?" he barked across the phone.

"No. Have you?"

Riku chuckled darkly to himself, shaking his head. "No… no, I haven't…"

"I'll take care of it. Where did you want to meet?"

"The old mansion."

"Okay."

Riku didn't even say goodbye when he clicked the end call button on his phone. He just felt like he needed to fume. Just as he returned to the train station and got on the train _back _to Twilight Town, the storm decided to take it up another notch, and send hail stones down upon its unwary victims below.

Riku charged out of the train station with little to cover him but a small jacket that he had opted to bring along with him. Then, he made his way down the dirt path that led up by the old mansion. When he got there, he launched himself over the gate, down onto the ground below, and bounded over to the door, discovering that it had already been opened- most likely by Ventus. But, he still kept his guard up anyway.

But, he found out pretty quickly that it was Ventus that had come in, and the boy had various take out items strewn across the floor for both of them. He had already started on his meal when Riku trudged in. Ventus shook his head when he saw the boy in front of him, and he threw a blanket over to the silver haired boy nonchalantly.

"You didn't bother to bring anything."

"Sorry, I didn't have time." Riku mumbled acidly, and Ventus looked at him in suspicion. "Did something happen to you when you got home?" He asked, and Riku began to chuckle sardonically, covering his face with his hands in exhaustion. "My mom, as usual of late. Ever since I told her I was gay, she's been very unaccommodating."

"She didn't kick you out, did she?"

"Of course she did." Riku grumbled, and Ventus put his head down in slight shame. "I'm sorry." He whispered. Riku sighed, rubbing his eyes. "It's alright Ventus. I had to tell her sometime."

"I didn't know I'd cause so much trouble."

Riku snorted, and then looked at Ventus with a knowing expression. "Yeah you did, Ventus."

Ventus glared at Riku and continued to eat his food. Riku decided that he'd take some too, and asked Ventus what he'd gotten.

"It's left overs from last night. I said I was sleeping over at Axel's, and I asked if I could bring them along. I heated them up in the oven, though, so we didn't have to eat them cold."

Riku looked around, and noticed that there was a fireplace in the next room. "Hey, we can start up a fire." He said brightly, moving stuff into the next room, but Ventus looked on in discomfort. "Are you sure it's safe?" he asked, and Riku nodded. "Yeah, it can't be too hard."

Riku ran outside again, and picked up wooden odds and ends that he could put into the fire. It was tough finding stuff that wasn't too wet, but he managed, and in twenty minutes, the fire was lit, and Riku and Ventus sat down together eating, while Riku was able to warm up. Ventus looked at him with narrowed eyes, and then crawled over to him and began to take his shirt off.

"Ventus!" Riku barked, and flung the boy away. "Cut it out! I haven't even had three bites of the dinner and you're already trying to strip me down."

Ventus shrugged. "I just thought that you might be cold. I thought that you could dry your clothes off."

Riku snickered, and looked over at Ventus lazily. "Didn't you get wet on the way over?"

"Yeah."

"Then why aren't you stripping?"

Ventus looked at him with no expression for a moment, but then he smirked, and tore off _all _of his clothes, crawling over to the fireplace and setting them all neatly in a row.

Riku watched as he squatted and rearranged his clothes so they'd be closer to the fire, and the silver haired boy couldn't help but notice how beautiful the boy was. As he leaned over the fire, Riku saw how the muscles in his stomach and side moved as he reached out, and he stared at Ventus' arms, and his delicate hands, as they arranged and rearranged the clothes. He just watched for a while, but after about a minute of Ventus rearranging his clothes, Riku got strangely irritated, and pulled him back.

"Alright, Ventus. I think that your clothes are fine the way they are. You don't have to sit shifting them around the whole night." He grumbled, and then Ventus sat down again, and folded his arms over his bare chest, waiting for Riku.

Riku sat for a minute in _extreme _discomfort, and eyed Ventus harshly. "What are you looking at?" he snapped, and Ventus just returned a cool glance. "It's your turn." He said simply.

Riku shut his mouth, and tried to get his heartbeat in order. He knew taking his clothes off would turn him on. When he was naked, he was vulnerable. And he did _not _want to be naked around Ventus, who seemed most at ease with his clothes off.

"Come on, Riku." Ventus said softly. "Can you not handle it?"

Riku sighed in deep irritation, and tried to take off his clothes as quickly and slap dash as possible. Even though he was flinging his clothes aimlessly around as if to convince himself "I don't care", he could feel himself going hard, and he tried desperately to hide it, even going so far as to tuck his knees under his chin. It was kind of hard to rip off his underwear when he was in that position. He had to wiggle out of them, which made things worse. Ventus looked on at the spectacle with a smile, thoroughly enjoying the entertainment. When Riku was finally finished with his clothes, he scuffled over, still in a curled up position, and set his clothes out. Then, he moved back to the blanket, and threw it over himself like a protective layer, feeling the tenseness in his muscles dissipate.

Ventus sat silently for a moment, and then erupted in a fit of giggles.

"Hey, don't choke on your curry." Riku said sarcastically, and Ventus snorted loudly, continuing to laugh. "I bet you wish I would." Then, his expression changed, and he began to cough.

"Quit shitting around, Ven." Riku growled, but it looked like Ventus was going red in the face. Riku began to worry, but sat steadfastly, even when Ventus keeled over on to the floor. Riku tried to sit and ignore the boy who was coughing frantically, but his concern got the better of him, and he launched himself towards Ventus in a heartbeat.

"Oh, shit!" he growled, and turned Ventus around in preparation for the Heimlich maneuver. He tried to ignore the stiffness in his nether regions, and how Ventus could probably feel it sticking into his back, when Riku heard the boy start to laugh.

"Nice dick, Mr. Modest." He snickered, and Riku threw him to the side, reassuming his huddled formation under the cover of the blanket. "I thought you were about to fucking die!" Riku said hoarsely, and Ventus shook his head, trying not to laugh anymore. It bothered Riku how casually he ate his food, tapping his knees on the floor as he sat with his legs crisscrossed in front of him. Riku shrugged to himself, deciding what the heck. It was better to be just honest.

"It bothers me how at ease you are right now." Riku chanced, and Ventus just stared into the flames. All Riku could hear was the continuous pounding of the rain and hail on the roof, so he opted to continue talking. "I guess I've always needed a cover."

Ventus continued to look into the flames, and then he finally spoke. "When all people seem to want to do is take your clothes off, you learn to just do it for them." Ventus mumbled. "It's like showing someone a trophy." He continued, the flames dancing in his dark eyes. "They expect that when the clothes come off, they'll see a new you; trembling, vulnerable, in their control… but my cover is internal. So all they see is a body. They don't see me." He finished, and Riku looked at him in awe as he savagely ate his curry.

"You know, if you eat that fast, it's gonna mess up your stomach." Riku piped up, and Ventus looked up as if to say 'are you serious? After what I've just said?', but Riku ignored it. "Eating slow is better for you. Enjoy it."

Ventus shrugged, and wolfed down more of it, staring Riku in the face as he did with a bit of a grin. Riku shook his head in slight disgust. "You are such a child." He muttered, and scooted over to Ventus with the blanket still wrapped around him. "I'll do it for you if you refuse to eat like a civilized human being."

Riku grabbed the box out of Ventus' hands, and then got a piece of chicken with one of the chopsticks, failing to notice the blanket falling away from his arms as he raised them up to feed Ventus. Ventus smiled mischievously, and then took the chicken off the chopsticks savagely, nearly taking Riku's hand with it. Riku continued to feed Ventus in this manner, until the food was gone, and Riku sighed. "Well, I guess that we're done with dinner!"

As Riku said this, Venus shook his head, and reached out for Riku's hand, holding it in his softly. "There's still some stuff on your hands." He murmured, and licked Riku's fingers, sucking on them occasionally, and caressing his palms with his fingertips. Riku felt like he was going to faint, and he pulled his hand away from Ventus in deep embarrassment. He was miles away from his comfort zone, and he did not like it.

"You're so boring!" the blond haired boy said dejectedly, and sprawled himself out in front of Riku with his legs flung apart. Riku could see absolutely everything, but he opted not to look at it.

"You just love to make a scene, don't you?" Riku grumbled, and Ventus laughed out loud. "There's no 'scene' to make, Riku! Get a backbone…"

"I have some decency!" Riku wailed, and Ventus shook his head. "Fuck that."

Riku felt the blood pumping in his ears, and then, in a moment of utter 'fuck it', Riku ripped the blanket off, and spread himself out on the ground, shutting his eyes tight. He counted to ten in his head, and then threw the blanket back on, breathing in and out quietly to himself. Ventus grinned widely at him. "This is so much fun!" he squealed, and Riku frowned. "For you it is, but for me it's torture."

"You obviously liked it." Ventus said lewdly, and Riku went red in the face. "Yeah… I know…" he mumbled, and Ventus looked back into the fire again, laying down on the ground, and in stead of sprawling out, curling up. Riku felt the incredible urge to snuggle up to him, and he decided that tonight was the night to let his inhibitions fly away. He slowly scooted over to Ventus, and scooped him up into the blanket, holding him close. Riku went harder, feeling the heat of Ventus' body against his, and Ventus sighed in a tired way.

"To be honest, Riku, I don't really want to do it." He muttered, and Riku sighed dejectedly. Then, he gave himself a mental lecture, reminding himself that he had never done it before, and that Ventus would laugh at him. He didn't want to appear any more awkward than he already had in the short space of about a half an hour.

"Sorry." Ventus said in a worried tone, and Riku rubbed his shoulders. "It's fine."

"I think our clothes are dry now." He said quietly. "Do you want to put them back on?"

Riku hesitated for a moment, and then nodded, getting their clothes from the fireplace and throwing his on himself. Ventus put his on slowly, and then hugged himself. "I'm sorry." He said again, obviously worried. "I'm the king of mixed messages. Sorry."

Riku sighed, and then put his hand over Ventus' mouth. "You don't have to keep apologizing. For once, you haven't done anything wrong."

They sat silently for a moment, and then they began to laugh, nudging each other playfully in the shoulder. Then, Riku jumped on Ventus, who got a huge fright, and went stock-still. Riku sighed, and patted Ventus on the shoulder. "It's called wrestling, Ven. I used to do it with Sora all the time." He said with a shrug, and then Ventus narrowed his eyes at him. "How did you not go hard while doing it? I thought that you liked him a lot."

Riku went bright red at this, and then shrugged. "Well, it eventually gave way to racing, so I guess that I was alright…" he mumbled, and then got off Ventus, who smiled at him, and ruffled up his hair. "Riku?" He started, and the silver haired boy looked up at him, waiting for him to continue.

Ventus shuffled his feet for a moment, and then smiled again. "You are a very nice person."

This made Riku smile, and he hugged Ventus tightly, and the boy hugged him back.

The two spent the rest of the night talking about random things, about the weather, and serious stuff, and non-serious stuff. Ventus got a panicky feeling a few times in the night that was foreign to him, but Riku was able to calm him down. They fell asleep on opposite ends of the room, but they felt close.

…..

Vanitas unlocked a door with a security card that he had acquired from Shinra, and went through it as it opened, going down the stairs and into the small storage room, used for various purposes. He went through the aisles, searching for something, and he smiled a little bit when he'd found it.

It was a box, labeled, "Rufus Shinra", and inside it was the various crime scene evidence of what had gone on when Rufus Shinra died.

One article in particular caught his eye. It was a skin sample from Sephiroth, when Rufus had struggled against him. Unsuccessfully, of course. Vanitas then went upstairs again, locked the door behind him, and prepared to go up to Rufus Shinra's old office, with the DNA in hand.

…..

It was as if Kid was going in slow motion, as if he couldn't move fast enough. Reno had to know this. He had to know that the case on Zack Fair was over.

He ran past various offices, until he reached Reno's division, where a bit of a celebration had begun. Everyone was toasting, and Reno clinked glasses with everyone, including Lightning, who smiled warmly at him.

Hesitating, Kid stood at the door for a moment, not wanting to spoil the party. But he knew that he had to. Finally, he walked into the office, and just stood there, stock still, as the phone began to ring. Reno went to get it, but suddenly, Kid stopped him, calling out his name.

"Reno!" he barked, and Reno looked back at him in carefree curiosity. Kid shook his head. "Don't answer it."

Reno snorted, and answered the phone anyway. In a few moments, the light expression on his face grew heavy, and then there was no expression at all. He just went into his office, locked the door, turned the light off, and sat at his desk.

Everyone stood still for a moment, and then they looked to Kid for an answer. He gulped.

"I just got a call." His voice quivered as he spoke. "They… they're dropping the case." He gulped, and Lightning walked towards him with a steely expression on her face. "Are you fucking around?" she growled, and Kid shook his head. "No. I'm serious."

"Why?"

"Because… They found new evidence that points to Sephiroth as the killer."

Lightning rolled her eyes, and then threw her arms out around her. "Then why the hell haven't we arrested Sephiroth?" she bellowed. Kid shuffled his feet. "Because…"

"Because why, Kid?" Lightning sighed, and Kid paused before telling her.

"Because Sephiroth's dead."


	13. Revenge

Xion looked down at the food in front of her, picking at it absentmindedly. It wasn't _overly _lavish, consisting of potatoes, carrots, chicken, and gravy.

She couldn't help but feel a little left out at all the attention that Rude was getting. She didn't know that she had been given such an important man to guard her. As she nibbled at the food in front of her, she remembered the tour that they had been given when they had arrived at the Academy headquarters in Academia.

Bartholomew Estheim, the founder of the Academy and Hope's father, had given the tour, and Hope had gone off to do some important business in the research center.

"It is a great honor to meet one of the King's Knights." He said in a strong voice as they walked down the halls. It amused Xion how much the two men seemed alike. "In truth, I thought that it was a bit of a myth. How did you get into a position like that?" he asked, and Rude was silent for a moment, thinking of what was the right thing to say. "By doing exceptional work in my field." He parroted, and Bartholomew smiled. "Is that what they told you when they gave you the award?"

"Along the lines of that."

"Do you believe it?"

"I'm just doing my job."

Bartholomew nodded, and looked ahead as they walked on, pointing out various things around the headquarters that were important. In truth, Xion didn't catch much of what he said. She was spoken to hardly at all, and the rest of the time she spent worrying about Namine, and about the trial for Axel.

"Xion, I hear that you're here on business for a friend?" Hope suddenly said, and Xion looked up from her plate in the slightest alarm, brought back from her thoughts.

"What?" She asked blankly. Hope chuckled as he set his silverware down, and looked up again. "I was just asking what brings you to Cocoon."

"Oh." Xion replied quietly, nodding. "I'm here to find information about a friend of mine. She used to go to L'Académie, in Eden."

Hope nodded as she continued. "Her name was Namine. I… I just wanted to find out how old she is." She finished, and Hope smiled at her. "Well, you know, we _do _have all the birth certificates of the people living here." He mentioned in an off hand sort of way. Xion looked at him with wide eyes.

"You're not serious. I thought that the documents would have gotten all messed up after the war." She blubbered, and Hope chuckled. "It turns out that the census data center's hard drive was untouched! We have information on all the residents- and former residents- of Cocoon."

Xion nodded to herself, and then looked up at Hope with a sweet expression, causing his eyebrows to rise in curiosity. "Can we perhaps… take a look at them?" Xion asked sheepishly. Hope nodded vigorously. "Of course!"

Then, he looked towards his father, and bowed slightly and curtly, before pushing his chair in. "Come." He said, and led Xion towards the door. Rude looked on a little nervously, but Bartholomew reassured him that she would be fine.

Xion and Hope walked down the halls silently, until they came to a large computer room. Hope got onto the main computer, typing at the speed of light, and in a short while, they were on to the census database. "What was your friend's name?" he asked softly, and Xion snapped to attention, peeking at the computer. "Oh, her name was Namine."

"Last name?"

"Uh… I don't really know."

"Okay…" He typed in the information, and looked towards Xion again. "When did she live here?"

"I… I have no idea…" Xion said dejectedly. It was embarrassing how little she knew about her friend.

Hope looked at her with narrowed eyes, and then pressed enter, to search. There were 5 results.

"Here we go. We'll just skim through the pictures and see which one is her."

"Namine is her first name." Xion added quietly, and Hope nodded.

"There are two people who have Namine as their first name." Hope relayed, clicking on the first person. A small baby's picture came up, with a link for its birth certificate and other important information, and Xion shook her head. "No. She's my age."

"Well, then it has to be the second person."

He scrolled down to the second person, and clicked on it. Xion gave a cry of delight when she saw that the pictured person was, in fact, the Namine that she new. But, her eyebrows rose in confusion when she noticed that she had hardly any information written beside her. No age, no last name, no place of birth or date of birth. And there was no link for her birth certificate. Xion's shoulders fell, and she looked down in dejection. There was also a link entitled 'missing' on her page. "Can we click on that?" Xion asked, and Hope nodded, clicking on the 'missing' link. Up came some information, a link for a few articles about her, and a police record from Midgar of the disappearance.

"This girl is like a blank book." Hope said in mystified curiosity, and Xion smiled a little bit. Namine's information was scarce, but not as much as her own. Xion knew nothing about herself, or where she came from.

"Do you want anything printed out?" Hope asked, and Xion nodded. "Print out everything."

"Including her picture?"

"Yes."

They waited for a little while as everything printed, and then Hope gave the information to Xion, put neatly into a manila folder he had found in a desk drawer nearby.

"I hope that this helps." Hope said, adding "I can call the school and ask them to print out all the information they have on her, if you would like."

Xion nodded. "That would be great. But, will they give out her information so easily after what happened?" She asked, and Hope smiled. "For a tiny court case in Disney City, they can pick and choose the information that comes out. But, if the government comes knocking on their door- now that's a different story."

Xion chuckled, but then looked up at Hope with a slightly puzzled expression. "Hope?" She asked, and the man looked up in curiosity. "Why are you helping me so much? Don't you have more important things to do?"

Hope smiled. "I feel sorry for the treatment you've gotten here. I wouldn't want you going away from this thinking badly of us."

'_So you want to upkeep the public image?' _Xion thought to herself bitterly, but then she thought that was mean. She didn't say anything, and Hope continued, trying to find the right words to say.

"The man that came here with you… He is a very esteemed individual." Hope tried.

"I gathered."

"Do you know what the King's Knights are?" Hope asked, and Xion shook her head.

"They uphold an honorary defensive position. They are like the King's personal guardians. They represent the defense of peace. The Advisory Board in your region is what upholds the peace. The Knights defend it."

"How many Knights are there?" Xion asked, and Hope shrugged. "Ten, I think. The same amount of people as on the Board."

Xion thought about how the board was supposed to 'uphold the peace'. Then she thought about how Xehanort was on the board. She wondered how many more bad seeds were in it, now that some of the original members were gone.

"What do you think of the board?" Xion asked, and Hope sighed, chuckling. "Ever since there was Cocoon, it seemed there was the Sanctum. There is no Sanctum, now, but Cocoon still hangs by a thread. Someday, Cocoon will be gone, and a new Cocoon will take its place. That is what I believe. It's the same with the Board, and with your region, the World."

Xion thought about it. "What happened to your world?"

Hope smiled, and led her down the halls. "So, you want a brief history lesson?" Xion nodded.

"Well, a thousand and a half years ago, all the humans in our world lived on Pulse. Then, it is said, a little over 1300 years ago, Cocoon appeared in the sky, and we were given the choice to live in it. Some went, and some stayed behind." He started. "Fast-forward about 700 years, and the people on Pulse, and the ones on Cocoon, hated one another. We thought that each was out to destroy the other. So, the War of Transgression began. Cocoon was scarred, and the human life on Pulse was almost stamped out. Over time, there were hardly any humans left in Pulse. Fast-forward to about _six_ years ago, and we started another war, this time, though, the Sanctum fell. We are just at the beginning of recovery. So, that's it." Hope said finally, and clapped his hands as if signaling the end to the brief monologue.

Xion chuckled. "That's amazing. I don't know a thing about my region."

Hope looked at her with a puzzled smile. "Didn't they teach you it in school?"

"I…" Xion started, and then sighed. "I don't really remember."

"Would you like to go back into the others?" Hope asked, and Xion nodded. "Yeah."

They walked back into Rude and Hope's father, still talking at the table, and sat back down. Bartholomew Estheim looked on in curiosity as the two got seated. Then, he addressed Xion directly. "Rude was telling me that you had a friend who was very interested in the Palumpolum Guardian Academy."

Xion looked on blankly, not really knowing where the statement was going, but she nodded anyway. Then, Bartholomew smiled. "What's his name?"

"His name is Riku- er, Riku Takahashi."

Bartholomew smiled. "Takahashi Riku. That's nice. My wife knew the language better than I did… she taught it to me." He said in a lost sort of way, and Hope looked forward blankly, at nothing in particular. Then, the man coughed suddenly, as if to dismiss what he'd just said. "Well, anyway… I was just wondering, because, you see, I am a professor at the academy." He said in an offhand sort of way, and Xion gaped a little bit.

"Y- you mean, _you're _a _teacher _there?" She asked, blubbering a little bit, and Bartholomew smiled. "Yes. The headmaster is a very good friend of mine. I was too busy to take a position before, but I decided to take it after all last year." He explained briefly. "I would be interested to meet your friend, and find out a little bit about him. The name sounds familiar."

Xion was taken aback. "Really?"

"Yes, Yen Sid, one of the creators of the Advisory Board for your region mentioned a Riku. He gave a master class and a talk to the students of the Academy just a while back. He was saying that he was personally training a few students for the exam. Is that the same Riku that you know?"

Xion blinked at him in surprise, trying to process the information he was telling her. "Yes." She started, and then nodded vigorously. "Yes- yes, I think it is! Roxas was telling me something about that a while ago…" she trailed off, more to herself. She was almost certain that the boy Bartholomew Estheim was talking about was the Riku she knew.

"Anyway, if it _is _the Riku I'm thinking of, you tell him that with contacts like Yen Sid, he's a real stand out."

Xion's heart began to beat faster, and she nodded in excitement. "He is also good friends with King Mickey!" she gushed. "And he's best friends with the son of the creator of the Investigation Bureau. And, Rude knows him!" she added without thinking, and Rude took a sideways glance at her. She smiled at him to encourage him to support her, and he hesitated for a moment, before mumbling that he didn't know the kid extensively, but he had met him before.

Bartholomew seemed very interested. "Well, that's amazing! How did he make all these contacts?" he gushed, and Xion wondered. "He worked for Ansem." She said quietly. "He was gathering information against Organization Thirteen. It was involved in a big scam, but it was branching out into other things…- it was more like a gang… I don't know if you've heard about the trouble we'd had just a little while back…"

Bartholomew nodded. "I heard something about it. But, I suppose Riku could tell me better what happened. What's your connection to the whole thing?"

Xion looked down at her fingers, thoroughly embarrassed. "I- I was a part of it." She mumbled. "But I left. Riku was a life line." She added, looking up. "He is a great person."

Bartholomew looked at her closely for a moment, and then narrowed his eyes. "Well. I am very interested in him. And in you. Have you taken the Mark of Mastery exam?" he asked, and Xion shook her head. "I don't think I'm cut out for that."

Bartholomew shrugged. "There are many paths to justice. We want that for every region, not solely our own. I hope you consider universities here. I think that you've got a lot more people standing at your side than you think."

Xion looked up at Rude, who stared ahead almost expressionlessly. Then, they caught eyes, and he smiled a little bit. "Thank you, sir." Xion said quietly, and Bartholomew nodded. Then, he sighed, and stood up.

"Well. We have guest bedrooms upstairs, I'm sure that you are both extremely tired from your ordeal today. Please, be our guests."

Xion and Rude were led upstairs and into different bedrooms, and on the way up, Xion ran into a young looking, small woman with short blond hair and striking blue eyes, and a uniform similar to Hope's.

"Oh!" she said in surprise, and eyed Xion curiously. "Who are you?" she chirped, and Xion bowed a little bit. "My name is Xion."

The girl shook her head sadly, sighing. "I'm really sorry about what happened to you. Hope told me."

"Is he telling everyone?" Xion said nervously, but the girl shook her head. "Oh, no, no way. He's not like that. But, you know, it's already been on the news." She pointed out, and Xion blushed, feeling downtrodden. The last thing she wanted was to be in the news.

"Am I in the news?" Xion asked, and the girl shook her head. "No, they haven't released any information about you. They're just referring to you as 'the young lady'. Your knight is looking out for you!" she added, and Xion furrowed her eyebrows together in curiosity. The girl smiled. "I heard him telling Hope that he was really adamant about what information the police gave out- like your name. The sole purpose was to get other convictions." She added, and Xion sighed in relief.

"Oh, what's your name?" Xion asked quietly. The girl laughed to herself, blushing a little bit. "Oh, I'm so rude! My name is Alyssa Zaidelle!" she chirped, holding out her hand. Xion slowly put her hand out, and Alyssa shook it firmly, bowing a little bit as she did. Xion noticed how easy it was to like the girl. She was charming- typical idol material. Xion chuckled as she remembered the most popular students in the time when she had been going to high school with Namine and Roxas. There was a girl named Princess- yes, that was her name- and a boy named Toby. They got together in the end, and went to the end of school dance together- all the girls cried, and a few boys did, too. Xion had never been popular. She had always drifted in and out of others lives like smoke, forgotten. Except for Roxas. Xion was almost certain that she had been the happiest girl at that end of school dance, even happier than Princess and Toby, to be dancing with someone who had always cared for her.

"Hey!" Alyssa barked, and Xion was snapped out of her reminiscing. Alyssa had her hands on her hips, looking at Xion closely. Then, she smiled again. "You went out of it for a second, there. Hope commented that you did that sometimes. You looked happy enough, though!" she added, chuckling. "I was just asking how long you were planning on staying. I could show you around if you like!"

Xion shrugged. "Well, we probably need to leave tomorrow."

"Where are you going?"

"Jazzo."

Alyssa looked back at her in surprise. "In New Gestahlia?" She asked, and Xion nodded in affirmation.

"That's an interesting location. You visiting someone?"

"I'm finding out about a friend."

The blond girl nodded. "Interesting. Well, if you're here tomorrow, I can give you a bit of a tour- that is, if you haven't already had one."

"We have." Xion admitted.

Alyssa sighed. "Well, maybe we can just talk then. I like you. I'd like to know more about you."

"That's fine by me." Xion acquiesced, and then asked Alyssa for directions up to the room she had been given.

"Ah, that's easy. I'll help you find it." Alyssa responded, and led Xion up to her room.

When Xion had gone inside the door, Alyssa smiled and winked. "I hope it's not too boring. We're not the picture of elegance, over here." She added, laughing, and then said goodnight, and walked off back downstairs.

Xion looked around the spacious bedroom in awe. Even if, according to Alyssa, it wasn't 'the picture of elegance', it seemed pretty darn close, to Xion anyway. Soft light shone over a wire frame double bed, replete with a huge mattress like the ones Namine had in her house, and billowing sheets that looked soft as clouds. Xion squealed in delight, and ran over and jumped on the bed, sinking into the covers slowly with a sigh of pleasure. Then, she tiptoed into the bathroom in excitement, gasping when she went inside. There was a huge square porcelain bath, with candles around it, and a various array of soaps, shampoos, loofas, brushes, and other cleaning items. Near it was a huge shower, with various buttons where you could choose the temperature you wanted the water to be. There were the softest towels lined out on top of the dresser, and on the sink top, there were lotions.

Xion looked at the dresser, and noticed how odd the wood looked. Everything in Cocoon seemed so futuristic and sterile, but here, it had such a nostalgic feel.

Xion sighed, clapped her hands together, and then began to get ready for bed, trying out the shower with awe. Then, she soaked in the bath, tried on different lotions, and found that there was a small wardrobe, with a nightdress and an outfit for the next day inside of it. Xion sighed to herself, shaking her head. Everything was so nice it was almost stifling. Xion felt like she didn't belong. It hurt the mood when she wondered if the true reason that she had been given the spacious room, and all that came with it, because of her attendant.

Even so, she put on the nightdress, and hopped into bed, snuggling up in the covers and deciding to enjoy the environment anyway.

For some reason, she got to thinking about the way Bartholomew had talked about Riku, when he had said that his name was nice. She had once heard Riku commenting about the very probable vast amount of other Riku Takahashis in the world, in a kind of self-depreciating tone. She wondered what Riku would say to the man if he'd been there instead of Xion. Xion had always gotten the impression that Riku didn't think much of himself, and never had. He appeared tough and confident on the outside, but when it came down to it, he was yearning appreciation. Xion wondered if hanging around Sora all the time had been bad for Riku. He'd always felt like a shadow around the younger boy. But, Sora had always been able to make Riku smile.

She sighed, chuckling at how complicated things had gotten for everyone. Everything seemed to be spinning out of control.

Despite the warm, soft covers, it took Xion what seemed to be a lifetime to fall asleep, as worries and nightmares kept creeping into her mind.

….

Riku woke up, noticing the light streaming in through the windows of the mansion. Ventus was still asleep, curled up on the opposite side of the room. A small flame seemed to flicker up inside Riku, and he stepped silently over to the boy, and touched his hair, and his face. Ventus had gorgeous hair, like Roxas, soft as down and a dark blond that shone when the sunlight hit it. Riku felt a little under par beside the boy. Ventus' face was smooth and soft, slightly tanned, and his cheeks were rosy.

As Riku trailed his own pale fingers across the boy's face, Ventus' eyebrows fluttered. Riku stood completely still, tense and worried in case Ventus would wake up. He didn't want Ventus to catch him like this. But, the boy didn't wake up, and Riku breathed out a sigh of relief, and stood up to look out the window. He whistled to himself in surprise when he saw the damage that the storm had done, and decided at that moment to go outside and see if anything else was messed up.

As he walked around, inspecting, he noticed that no windows were broken, the roof was fine, and all in all, no damage was done. There were branches strewn everywhere and the drainpipe was in a mess, but there was nothing serious.

When Riku went back inside, he saw that Ventus was awake, and looked very sour. He slowly shut the door behind him, trying to creep up on the blond boy, but Ventus whipped his head around, and narrowed his eyes at Riku.

"Where were you?" he snapped, and Riku sighed. "I was just looking outside to see if the storm messed up the house."

"Did it?"

"The drainpipe's hanging off, and it's clogged with leaves and stuff. But other than that, nothing."

Ventus nodded slowly, getting up and going over to Riku. "Did you touch me in my sleep?" He growled, and Riku's eyes widened. "Um-uh, well…" Riku tried sheepishly, hoping for a little bit of help, from anywhere, but none came. Ventus grabbed him by the front, and pointed to his cheek.

"I felt you stroking my face, dumbass." He hissed. "Was there any where else that you decided to touch?"

"No. Well, your hair."

"On what part of my body?"

"Your head!"

Ventus narrowed his eyes at Riku, and Riku let out a dramatic sigh. "Ventus, I promise I'm not like that!"

"But you are like that! You were touching me in my sleep!"

"I mussed up your hair, and I… stroked your cheek, that was all!" Riku blathered on in an embarrassed way, and Ventus breathed out through his nose, nodding to himself. Then, he shrugged, and began to pick up the trash from the dinner last night.

"I guess that I believe you. But from past experience, I'm not so sure."

"What do you mean?"

Ventus stopped what he was doing, looking up at Riku, and then away again. "An old boyfriend used to do stuff to me in my sleep. I only found out when I saw pictures he'd taken."

Riku put his hand to his temple, and scrunched up his eyes in dejection. Ventus had so much baggage, that new things seemed to pop up all the time.

"I'm sorry, Ventus. I didn't know… you just… looked cute… in your sleep." Riku tried to say, and Ventus snorted.

"That's what my boyfriend said." As he threw the trash from the takeout into a big plastic bag he'd brought along, he started to smile. Then he looked up at Riku with a sly expression, making the boy worry. "What?" Riku said defensively, but Ventus just tilted his head to the side, examining Riku. "I was just thinking…" he started, tapping his chin with his forefinger in mock deliberation. "You should probably be careful. What goes around comes around. I may return the favor to you…"

Riku glared at Ventus like an animal surrounded. "I don't want the favor returned."

"Too bad. One night, you may look cute in _your _sleep and I may just not be able to help myself." Ventus finished grandly, and Riku vowed to be ever the more careful around the boy.

"When are you going to start 'helping' me?" Ventus commented. Riku shrugged. "I don't know."

"I thought you were going to take me out on a date."

Riku blushed, and folded his arms over his chest. "Wasn't this a date?"

"I want another one!"

"How is this going to 'help' you?"

"It's important that I have someone that I can trust!"

Riku nodded, getting a little bit irritated. Ventus still seemed to be making all of the rules, even though he said himself that Riku would be the one helping _him. _

"Alright, where do you want to go?"

Ventus just smiled. "Surprise me." He murmured, and kissed Riku on the cheek, sending a shock through him. Riku grinned a little bit in spite of himself, and nodded. "Alright, I'll see what I can do."

"Good." Ventus chirped. "Now you can walk me home."

The two went out arm in arm, and Riku held Ventus' arm tightly, thinking that maybe this wasn't so bad after all.

…

Lightning paced outside Reno's office in internal agony, wondering if she could wait any longer. The boys had told her to give him some time, that he was dealing with a lot right now. But they couldn't wait much longer.

Zack Fair had woken up from the coma on the second day in the hospital. He had then began to have what seemed to be a mental breakdown, and was kept in the hospital for another two days. In the meantime, the trial had been delayed.

After Zack was deemed fit to be examined, he was taken into the interrogation room, and questioned. He told them everything about Sephiroth; how the man had been experimented on as a child, how he had found out from a man named Genesis over twenty years later; and perhaps most importantly, how he had gone on a mad rampage through the city, killing and burning all in his path. He wasn't Nibelhiem's savior, as Shinra had made him out to be. He was its murderer.

They had re-questioned Hojo, and with the new information, broke him down to pieces, until he told them everything about Sephiroth, including how he had killed President Shinra. And about how Hojo had covered the murder up for him. They had Shinra in the palm of their hands; but then, Selphiroth was killed. The crime scene was being analyzed, and the autopsy revealed that Sephiroth had been poisoned with an unidentifiable substance. Lightning wondered if any trace of the killer would be found.

She thought constantly about the mysterious, black suited figure that she had seen when she had gone into Shinra and seen the destruction of all of their old files. She was certain that it was he who had killed Sephiroth. But he was like a billow of smoke: there for a moment- and then gone.

Carried to her limit, Lightning finally gave in, pushing the door to Reno's dark office open.

"Reno." She snapped, looking towards his desk. His chair was pointed towards the window, away from the desk. Lightning couldn't see him.

"I said I needed some time alone." Reno mumbled, and Lightning banged her fist on the desk in frustration. "You've had enough damn time to yourself!" She roared, and Reno swiveled around to look at her. She was shocked at what she saw. A usually peppy Reno had a dark expression on his face, and his eyes looked like black coals. "I'm the leader of this damn division, aren't I?" he seethed, standing up to look at Lightning. "I was the one who got the damn job, wasn't I?" he hissed. "I filled out the fucking application, I got the fucking job, I left the fucking Turks, and Shinra, and all that shit behind, and I think that I should have the fucking right to do whatever the fuck I want!" he snarled at her, jabbing his finger into the papers in front of him.

"You think that I'm just giving up because I'm lazy?" he whispered, and shook his head. "No. I'm giving up because I know that we don't have a chance!"

"I know who killed Sephiroth." Lighting said shakily, trying to control her own temper.

Reno laughed mockingly. "Oh yeah? So who did it? Grace me with your almighty wisdom, I'd love to know!" he gushed sarcastically, getting up in Lightning's face. "Don't get in my face." Lightning growled, and Reno backed off a little bit, waiting for her to speak.

"It was the black suited man that I saw in Shinra." She said.

Reno looked at her expressionlessly for a moment, and then began to laugh again. "Great fucking job!" he whooped, clapping his hands in the air. "Now where is the evidence? Are we gonna get him in court and 'nab' 'im?"

Lightning stood silently as Reno exploded in front of her, screaming in every which direction. When he came back at her, getting in her face again, she didn't hesitate in her actions. With one swift motion of her arm, she punched him square in the face, sending him toppling over his desk. Then, she walked around behind it, where he was sprawled out with his legs in the air, feeling his nose gingerly.

"The next time you get in a shitty mood, don't treat everyone like it." She hissed, pulling him up into his chair. "You forget that I am a former L'Cie and member of the Guardian Corps. I don't take shit."

As she walked towards the door, she turned around once more, and looked Reno up and down. "Now you either become a proper leader for these people, or I do what I came here to do at first. Take over."

With that, Lightning slammed the door behind her, and left Reno fuming in his chair. He swiveled around to the window again, and looked out of it, holding the crumpled piece of paper that he had printed out from the computer just a few minutes ago. He smoothed it out in his lap, and then read the email from the higher up again.

'_Reno,_

_You are an exceptional investigator, but this case might be out of your league. We have sent for reinforcements from the main headquarters in the Land of Departure, and they will be coming in sometime this week. We have sent word around, and the immigration division has expressed their interest in your work. The customs official in Nibelhiem is retiring, and they need a strong leader to bring them forth in their strenuous line of work. _

_ Best of luck to yo-"_

Reno savagely ripped apart the email, wiping tears out of his eyes. Any fool could tell that he'd botched up the case. He hadn't taken things seriously enough. It had all been a game to him. And now the higher ups were mocking him.

The phone rang, and when he picked it up and answered it, the other end told him that a car had arrived to deliver Hojo to the facility in southern Midgar. He nodded to himself, and confirmed it. Then, he took a moment to look around at his office. The office that he had not yet gotten used to, that looked out on the dark and unforgiving city of Midgar, the city that he had known now longer than he could remember.

He sighed again, and stood up, trudging out of his office in a deep gloom. He felt ashamed when he thought about Lea. How would Lea think of him if he was working in customs?

Reno chuckled in spite of himself, surprising himself a little bit. He would somehow get through it.

He walked out of his office with his head down, and got everyone's attention. "Let's move Hojo out." He muttered, and everyone nodded.

Reno still saw a glimmer of light in the fact that he was sure Hojo was hiding something. He just needed permission to question him again, which he would be getting (hopefully with Lightning's help) soon.

They picked up Hojo from the cell they kept near the interrogation room, and Reno held onto him for dear life, feeling intense foreboding. An ominous presence clung close to the door out of the Midgar Division building, and Reno took in a deep breath as he went through it with Hojo and Lightning.

The minute he stepped outside, things began to move in slow motion. Reno had the sudden urge to look out into the mass of reporters and onlookers in front of the building, and when he did, his whole body tensed, and he sucked in a deep breath as he met eyes with a man in the middle of the crowd, filled with cameras and microphones labeled with various news company's titles.

The man was dressed completely in black, but his collar was lined with a deep crimson fabric, and his dark glasses were rimmed with red. He looked at Reno for a moment, and then smiled, pulling out the gun inside of his pocket, and pointing it towards Lightning. Reno's muscles reacted like a bullet, and he flung her behind him as he heard the gunfire. Slowly, he closed his eyes, happy that he had taken the bullet. But, as the screaming began, he wasn't the one who fell down. In horror, he opened his eyes, and watched like a statue as Hojo crumpled to the ground. Another gunfire went off, and he slammed Lightning to the ground just as the bullet whizzed behind him, and into the chest of another investigator. When he fell, Reno got a look at his face. It was Max.

Reno blinked back tears, as he realized that he had been dangerously close to being played for a fool. He looked back into the crowd, and noticed that the man in black was still there, smiling. He had not once shot his gun. Lightning saw the man too, and aimed her gun at him, but before she could shoot; he disappeared, not noticed by one person in the crowd.

Reno whipped around, and began to take care of Max; trying not to let his emotions get away with him again. His friend needed him.

"Stay with us Max!" he growled, and Lightning looked around. "Call an ambulance! Stop staring and do something!" she screamed, and everyone kicked into high gear, trying to help as much as they could.

"I should have ducked, too." Max chuckled glumly, and Lightning tried to stop the bleeding, staring at it with a strangely cool expression. "It was my fault, Max." Reno said hollowly. "I was tricked."

"You couldn't have seen it coming, Reno." Lightning snapped, and the conversation ended.

The ambulance came, and Max was carted off to the hospital with Lightning and Reno in tow.

Reno rubbed his face as he drove, his nerves wrecked. Lightning looked ahead with a steely face, but it softened, as they got closer to their destination.

"I'm flattered that you would sacrifice yourself for me." Lightning whispered, and Reno chuckled lamely to himself.

"Well isn't that what you were doing?" Lightning said seriously, and Reno fell silent. "You put yourself in front of me. And that left Hojo open. You chose me over him."

"I didn't know that he was going to get shot!"

"You were guarding him like you thought something would happen!" She shot back, and there was silence again.

"What happened?" Lightning said calmly, and Reno took a deep breath to keep from shouting again, or losing it completely.

"I saw the man you were saying killed Sephiroth. He was in the crowd. He had a gun, and he looked straight at me and pointed it at you. So, I went in front of you."

"And someone else shot Hojo?" Lightning whispered, and Reno nodded. "There must have been a sniper in one of the buildings above. He shot Hojo, and that shattered my guard. Then, you were open. And he tried to shoot you, but I pushed you down…"

"… And the bullet hit Max." Lightning said in a strangled voice. Then, she shivered a little bit. "It's been a while since I've almost been killed." She sighed, trying to laugh, but she couldn't. "So, you think that that all went according to their plan?" Lightning asked, and Reno nodded. "How would they have known that you would've gone in front of me?" Lightning asked, and Reno shrugged. "It may have been a lucky guess."

"Do you think they know that you like me?" Lightning asked, and Reno shook his head. "How could they?"

"They may have someone on the inside."

"I flirt with girls all the time. They wouldn't have thought you were any different until then. Maybe I had a look in my eye or something. I don't know. I felt like at that moment, he sort of saw through me."

Lightning nodded. "Why would they want to kill me?"

Reno sighed, and smiled at her. "What else can they do to get you off the case?" he asked. "You have no family, nothing to be threatened by."

"But why _kill _me?"

"Because you're good. You're the one who saw that guy. He saw you. And you're an extremely formidable foe, to them. You're a great investigator. If you had have been in control of this investigation, we would have gotten him by now. That's why they want you dead. With you here, they lose."

"You were the one who solved the picture."

"Yeah, and look where that's gotten us." Reno barked. "All our leads are dead. And my friend may be, too." Reno faltered, blinking quickly to try and dismiss the tears in his eyes.

Lightning looked forward, and shook her head. "You know, the wound was no where near his heart. He may have a collapsed lung, and he'll bleed a lot, but he might be okay."

"I hope so." Reno mumbled. Silence overtook the car again, and for a moment, they both stayed quiet, looking out either window, without quite knowing what to say. Then, Reno felt a warmth on his hand, and smiled as he noticed Lightning slip her hand into his, squeezing it gently. "Thank you, Reno." Lightning said softly. And they sat like that, silently, for the rest of the trip.

….

Xehanort's library was spacious, with thousands of documents, books, data sheets, reports, and essays, all catalogued and organized meticulously. The monstrosity of a room was deep below the ground, the most secret and important place in the whole of Xehanort's headquarters.

Vanitas sat huddled in its depths, reading and reading, taking in as much information as he could, on the subject that had been consuming him for the past few weeks. His condition was worsening. He could feel every day, the clock ticked. He had three more weeks until the medicine ran out. And how long after that? How long could he cope, in intense physical and psychological pain?

Right now, he had been looking through Ansem's Reports- otherwise known as Xehanort II's reports. When Xehanort had had his son killed, he'd made sure that all of his belongings were analyzed, and any document taken. But his son had scattered the reports. It took years for Vanitas to obtain copies of all of them.

He had looked through _everything _in the library, and felt that this was his last hope. But, he stared down at the last page hollowly when he'd finished it, realizing that he had obtained nearly no information.

Then, he thought about the 'special girl' Xehanort II had talked about in the last report. The 'princesses of light', as they had been called, had no darkness inside of them. They were completely devoid of the substance. They were able to function without it. Therefore, darkness couldn't eat away at the light inside of them.

Vanitas narrowed his eyes as he thought about it. He thought about his impossible existence. Beings could survive without any light inside of them. But they could not survive in pure darkness, like he had for so many years.

He had been born strange. He had been empty. When the darkness in Ventus was put inside of Vanitas, it destroyed any shred of the human that he used to be. The substance became a partof his _being, _even his _soul. _The substance developed into something so powerful and dangerous, it destroyed everything in its path. It twisted him up until he became a monster. When this new darkness was put back inside Ventus, it carried Vanitas' soul with it. The new darkness reacted with the light, and Ventus gave way to Venitas.

Vanitas thought about the feeling he had inside him when woke up inside Ventus' body, the thrill of having reached the ultimate goal. He proved that darkness _was _stronger than light. Then, again, he thought he had, until Ventus, in essence, 'kicked him out'.

At that moment, Vanitas had an epiphany. He was never meant to survive. He was just being used as a vessel; like a substance being put into the perfect environment for it to grow and evolve. That's what he was. A petri dish.

Vanitas snorted as he thought of that, and then furrowed his eyebrows in puzzlement. He'd never laughed before, when he was drugged. Had he not taken enough?

Vanitas jumped up, and paced back and forth, thinking of his precarious situation. He had just been a vessel to evolve the darkness that had been inside Ventus. Xehanort had predicted that once the evolved darkness was put back with the evolved light in Ventus, which had been forced to live on _its _own, a being of perfect control would be made.

So, all he needed was a being of perfect light. If he put the substance inside himself, then he would be whole again.

Vanitas whipped his head up, gaping a little bit, before calming himself down. The 'special girl'. He had read about this; there were reportedly seven people who were born with only the light substance inside them. She was one of them. She had lived in Radiant Garden, and to be close to Xehanort and Ansem, she must have been some sort of royalty.

Then, his mouth switched up into a sly grin. It was Kairi. He'd read an article about her in one of the news articles that had been saved in the library. She was the adopted daughter of the Mayor of Destiny Islands, but she was found out to have been a princess. She used to live in Radiant Garden, but she'd been transported to Destiny Islands to keep her safe.

Vanitas closed the book he was holding, and began to redistribute his collection of findings back to where they belonged. Then, he put his coat on, and went up and out of the library. There was one last floor beneath the library- and that was the basement. Vanitas was sure that the old machine used to extract the darkness from Ventus had been put down there, forgotten. After Ventus had expelled Vanitas from his body, Xehanort had thought that his experimentation had been for nothing, and he had left all of his materials in the basement, to rot and degrade.

Vanitas hopped down the stairs with speed, and slipped into the door, eluding the security cameras set up at its entrance. He closed the door behind him silently, and turned the light on, walking towards the machine. Vanitas examined it, and then scratched his head. He would have to look at the blue prints for the machine. Those were in the restricted section of the library. Only Xehanort could get to that place. Vanitas smiled, but then stopped, looking down at his hands. He felt like he was doing something inexplicably wrong, going against the man he had regarded as his master for so long. He looked up at the machine, seeing his salvation in every corner of its enormity. He would be going against everything that he had built up in his short life. He would be betraying his loyalty to Xehanort.

For a moment, he deliberated, but soon, he had decided. He would have to slip into the restricted section undetected, and steal the blueprints; he didn't have time to wheedle them out of Xehanort by gaining his trust. He'd make copies of them at another location, and bring them back to the basement to study them, and see if he could repair any damage done to the machine.

Then, the second step in the process. Vanitas would have to kidnap Kairi.

…

There was a knock on Axel's door, but he refrained from opening it, choosing instead to sit tight on his couch, being gloomy about the upcoming trial. He now had a tracking bracelet attached to his arm- just in case he decided to 'escape'.

Lea was upstairs with Isa, playing video games. After a long deliberation, Lea had decided to go through with the Fruit ball thing, and he was practicing with the city team every day now. Axel didn't know if he'd gotten over what Ventus had done yet. Ventus hadn't shown up in a few days, and Axel wondered if it was shame that was keeping him away from everyone, or if he'd just found someone else to mess with. He decided that it was the latter.

There were more furious knocks on the door, and Lea called down the stairs for Axel to answer it, so he did. It was Riku, and he seemed slightly feverish.

"What brings you here?" Axel asked, and Riku shrugged. "Ah, nothing, I was just wondering if you wanted to do that thing that I was talking about awhile back."

"What do you mean?"

"The thing!"

"What thing, Riku?"

"The thing from Aerith's party!" he barked, and Axel snorted. "You mean the sex?"

"Yeah." Riku mumbled.

"I think I remember you saying you wanted to 'try me out', am I right?" Axel asked playfully, and Riku nodded slowly. "Yeah, well… there's something that needs to be set straight." He added.

"I-" Riku started, and then sighed, feeling very uncomfortable. "I'm not as experienced as I made myself out to be." He finally said, and Axel frowned a little bit. "Are you saying you've never had sex?"

"No, psh, no… well… yes. That is what I am saying." Riku finally barked, folding his arms in front of him defensively. This was not his comfort zone.

Axel looked at him seriously for a moment, and then breathed out carelessly. "So why are you coming to me? You never liked me very much. Why would you give something this important to a guy like me?"

Riku blushed madly, looking down. "Because I want to do well for the important one." He mumbled. "I don't want to fumble."

Axel chuckled, and shrugged. "But part of the fun is figuring things out! No one goes into it knowing everything! You've got to learn as you go along! Don't be so uppity!" he added, and Riku whipped his head around to look at Axel with a dangerous expression.

"Hey! I'm not trying to be cool! I just don't want to be laughed at!"

Axel snorted. "Why would Sora laugh at you? Because he's had sex and you haven't? Riku…"

"Well, I know Sora better than you. He would laugh. Not to be mean, of course, but he would." Riku said begrudgingly, but softened quickly. "I couldn't stand that." Then, he snapped out of things. "But it's not Sora, any way. I think that I have to come to terms with the fact that I just can't have him."

"Who is it then?" Axel chuckled, but then his eyes went huge, and he grabbed Riku's shoulder. "Riku- it isn't- Ventus, is it?" He gasped, and Riku immediately got defensive. "Yeah. So what?"

"He's a lousy piece of shit, Riku, you don't want to know him. He'll ruin your life." Axel growled, and Riku shoved him away. "He just needs help!"

"Do you know what he did to Lea?" Axel seethed, and Riku nodded. "Yeah, he told me. He was sorry."

"Sorry doesn't cut it." Axel snapped. "You can't turn back the clock with a 'sorry'. I'd rather have a 'goodbye' than a 'sorry.'"

Riku clenched his hands into fists, trying to think of a way to defend Ventus. "You know he's got problems- if you knew what happened in his life, you'd know that there's more to this than-"

"-It doesn't give him the excuse to prey on a little kid." Axel shouted, but ducked his head, and looked around, as if Ventus was going to come down at any second. Then, he started to speak again, only this time more quietly than before. "Ventus is a monster. I'm not going to help you try to impress a piece of dirt. You're better than that, Riku." Axel finished, and Riku banged his fist on the table.

"I've got a trial in a few days, and it's almost certain that I'm gonna be going to jail. I've got better things to worry about than that miserable cretin." Axel mumbled, and Riku stormed out of the house.

Axel returned to the couch, rubbing his eyes in exhaustion. He didn't know if he could ever forgive Ventus for what he'd done. Suddenly, Lea hopped down the stairs, seething. Isa slipped out of the house, and Lea and Axel were left alone.

It was deafeningly silent for a moment, as Lea glared at Axel with teary eyes. "Why'd Isa leave?" Axel mumbled, but Lea ignored him. "Lea, I asked you a question."

"What do you think of me?" Lea barked, and Axel looked at him in surprise, and then shrugged coolly. "I don't know. You're a brat." He chanced, but Lea ignored him again.

"You think I can't take care of myself, don't you?" Lea said lowly. "You think that every corner I turn, I'm gonna get snatched away?"

"Lea, shut up, you don't know anything-" Axel said coldly, turning away from Lea, who stomped his foot in a vain attempt to get Axel to turn around again.

"You think that I can't take care of myself? Just because you and your faggot friend got raped, you think that I'm gonna be, too?" Lea roared, and Axel jumped up off the couch, and got in Lea's face. "He is not my friend! And I didn't get raped!" Axel shot back, and Lea laughed at him. "Who do you think you are, laughing like you're above me- like nothing like that would ever have happened to you, when it almost did! Don't act all tough, Lea. You were the one lying on the ground." Axel sneered, and then pulled back, immediately regretting what he'd said. "Sorry." He mumbled, but the damage had already been done.

"He caught me off guard." Lea growled. "I know the kid's nuts. I underestimated him. But I won't do it again. This time, I'll kill him." He roared, and Axel laughed out loud at him. "You can't be serious, Lea!"

For a moment, the kid looked at him coolly, but then he grinned maliciously, making a dark decision in his mind. "Watch me!" he hissed, and ran out the door, disappearing down the pathway. Axel continued sitting on the couch for a moment, trying to stand his ground, but he had the terrible feeling that Lea was serious about what he was about to do. So, he jumped up off the couch and ran out the door after Lea, who he could not see.

He did not think Lea capable of actually _killing _someone, but he wouldn't put it past him to try and beat Ventus to a pulp, and humiliate him. Lea could be mean when he wanted to. And now that he felt like his manliness was on the line, he seemed like he was ready to do some reckless things. Then again, Axel didn't know how strong Ventus was. Axel had the sudden revelation that Lea might've been the real one in danger.

Axel shook his head as he ran down the road, hoping that he could get to Ventus before Lea did.

…..

Ventus sat on the side of the road near his house, waiting for Riku to come pick him up for their date. He'd said that it would be a surprise, and Ventus' heart was beating like a rabbit as he waited for Riku.

He felt something budding inside of him for the boy. Riku was the only one in town who he felt truly cared for him. It was nice to be cared about again.

Suddenly, he noticed a figure walking towards him, and as he looked up, he saw the fiery red hair that only two people he knew possessed.

"Lea?" he murmured serenely, and the boy nodded. "I have some business I'd like to take care of. Would you care to join me?" Lea said coolly, and Ventus hesitated for a moment, before nodding. The two walked down through Twilight Town, and into one of its alleyways.

As they walked, Lea kicked his feet along the ground, kicking up an old pair of pliers and some screws that had been beaten down into the dirt that was strewn across the concrete beneath them. He picked the pliers up, and threw them ahead of him as far as he could. When they came upon them again, he picked them up once more, and repeated his previous actions.

"You're a long way from Disney City." Ventus commented, and Lea ignored him. Ventus saw that the boy's fingers were clenched into tight fists, his knuckles white and shaking from how hard he was clenching them. They went on in silence until they were in a deserted part of the city, heavy with smoke from factories, and the trains that came through above. The tracks climbed high into the sky, zigzagging over one another.

"This is impressive." Ventus commented bleakly, and Lea finally turned around, and glared at Ventus. "Who do you think you are?" he growled, and Ventus grew silent.

"I said who do you think you are!" Lea roared, and Ventus backed away a little bit. "No one." He whispered, and Lea shoved him hard, before circling around him. "That's right, you're no one!" Lea hissed, wiping his nose. Ventus felt his muscles go into defensive gear, but he stopped them, putting his head down. "I'm sorry for what I did to you." Ventus whispered. "It was terrible. I-"

Before Ventus could say anything else, Lea swung straight for his nose, and Ventus forced himself not to dodge it completely, letting it hit the side of his head. He immediately felt his vision cloud, and he was sent to the ground, reeling.

He clenched his hands into fists, and looked up at Lea with a grimace, filled with rage, but then he looked back at the ground, forcing himself not to fight back. _'I deserve this.' _He thought to himself, and Lea kicked him hard in the side of the head. He went down again, and Lea pulled him up by his hair, glaring at him. "You caught me off guard. That won't happen again." He seethed. "Say you're sorry."

"I already did." Ventus mumbled, and Lea gave him a dig in the stomach, making him cough up blood. "Say you're sorry!" Lea roared, and Ventus looked at the ground. "I'm sorry." He mumbled, but Lea continued to punch and kick him hard, in the stomach and the legs, and the head occasionally. Ventus just tried to protect his head. "Say it genuinely!" Lea shouted.

"I'm sorry!" Ventus screamed, and Lea spat at him. "I bet you'll be more sincere when I beat your damn brains out!"

As Lea stalked over to a small fence, and picked up a baseball bat from the ground, Ventus began to worry. He'd allowed himself to be hit in the head, and he knew now that he was already not all there. His body screamed at him to go, but something else inside him begged him to stay, and to die. Ventus began to cry, struggling to choose between what he thought was life and death.

"You're already sniveling?" Lea mocked, kicking him. Then, Lea swung the baseball bat at Ventus' arm, and he heard the bones crack; knowing immediately that his arm was broken. "You shouldn't have come here!" Lea screamed, and raised the bat up again, aiming for Ventus' head.

"Wait!" Ventus shouted, and Lea hesitated. "Are you really gonna kill me?" Ventus asked, and Lea gripped the bat tightly, looking down at Ventus with a nervous expression. Ventus knew at that point that he could talk Lea out of it. "You're not the bad person, Lea. I am. So why are you the one trying to kill me?"

"You tried to fuck me." Lea seethed, with tears running down his cheeks, and slammed the bat down on Ventus' arm again. "Stop it!" Ventus screamed, and Lea discarded the bat, flinging it from him as far as he could. A metal clanging sound was heard as it hit the ground, and Ventus thought that maybe it had hit the pliers that Lea had thrown previously. Lea circled around him, trying to think of something else to do.

"Don't try to talk me out of this. I'm not a dumbass. I'm not a coward." He hissed, and kicked Ventus a little bit more. Lea had expected some more crying and pleading from Ventus, but he wasn't getting anything. It made his blood boil to think that maybe Ventus wasn't even trying to fight back, or to get away. "I'm not a baby." He seethed, clenching and unclenching his fists. Then, he looked back at where the baseball had hit the ground. He stalked over, and saw the pair of pliers on the ground, picking them up and examining them. Then, he looked up at Ventus with a dark expression. "I know something that will make you cry." He growled, stalking back over to Ventus and pulling up one of the blond boy's hands. When Ventus realized what Lea was about to do, he began to scream, clawing at Lea's face. Ventus could hardly move his right arm because it was in so much pain, but Lea kneeled on it, and pulled up Ventus' left hand, closing the pliers around the nail on Ventus' thumb.

"Are you sorry?" Lea shot at Ventus, and Ventus took in a deep breath to apologize again. But instead, he looked into Lea's eyes, and pursed his lips. "I've already said I'm sorry." He worded in a shaky voice, and Lea clenched his teeth in anger, and ripped out the nail on Ventus' thumb. Ventus screamed in agony, as Lea made it through two other nails. "I'll go to your teeth next!" he hissed desperately, but Ventus clenched his teeth, and shut his eyes. "You don't even care!" Lea exploded, throwing the pliers away from him in a rage, and shoving Ventus down. "You want to be here! I hate you!"

"LEA, GET AWAY FROM HIM!" a voice roared from behind, and Ventus looked up in torture. He saw two people coming towards him, and when he tried to stand up, he vomited. Lea was ripped off of him, and then there were two faces in front of Ventus, setting him down gently. They both had silver hair, and greenish blue eyes. "Riku." Ventus cried, and Riku stroked his hair, and Ventus saw that he was crying, too.

Then, Riku stood up, and advanced on Lea with rage in his eyes. "You disgust me!" he spat, and Lea cowered a little bit, before lashing out at Riku, trying to get a punch in edgeways. Riku dodged easily, and clocked Lea right in the face, sending him down. He pulled up Lea by the hair, and shook him hard, slapping him in the face. "Why would you take down someone who's already defenseless? You are a coward!" he roared, and threw Lea aside.

"RIKU!" Another voice boomed from beside, and Axel ran over and stood between Lea and Riku, enraged. "I told you to go ahead and take care of whoever was down! Not beat the shit out of Lea!"

Riku pointed to Ventus, who was shaking and bleeding badly from his fingers.

"Did you see what Lea did to Ventus?!" Riku shouted, and Axel looked over at Ventus in surprise. "He brought a fucking pair of pliers and a baseball bat along with him! They weren't scrapping, Lea was trying to fucking kill Ventus!"

Axel looked over at Lea in a lost way, and shook his head. "Lea? What's wrong with you?" He said brokenly, and Lea blinked up at him with big eyes. "I would have never thought that you were capable of such cruelty."

Lea looked away in shame, and glanced over in horror, as he saw Isa come into the clearing. "Isa, did you tell them where I was?" Lea wailed, and Isa nodded. "You said that you wouldn't tell them!" Lea screamed, and Isa went over to him with misty eyes. "I didn't want you to do something that you'd regret. But I see that I'm too late."

"I'm getting the fucking police. You can both rot in jail for all I care." Riku shouted at Axel, and Axel glared at him. "You weren't so unaccommodating just awhile ago, were you?"

Riku tried to calm himself, and stood back up. "You all accuse me of standing up for people who don't deserve it, look at what you're doing!" he roared, pointing at Lea. "This kid does not deserve your attention! He's immature and weak! He can't understand anything!"

"What is there to understand, Riku? You seem to be the only one that Ventus talks to, how can we know that he's not all full of shit?"

Riku was about to go off completely, but he felt a tug on his pant leg, and his heart fell when he noticed that it was Ventus. "Just stop it, Riku." The boy muttered. "I wanted it." He mumbled in such a quiet voice, that Riku had to bend down close to his ear to hear what he said. "I wanted to get beaten up. I shouldn't have gotten defensive towards the end, that's why he got mean." He said quietly, without tears. "Anyway, for what I did, I deserve it."

"No you didn't, Ventus." Riku replied through tears. Axel looked on in discomfort, and Lea stared at Ventus with a strange expression. "Why did you have to be such a fucking martyr?" Riku muttered halfheartedly, and Ventus coughed up more blood before going unconscious.

Riku called an ambulance, but he didn't comment on how Ventus had gotten beaten up, and Lea and Axel went home together, both shaken up.

Axel sat back down on the couch, staring ahead aimlessly. Lea took a shower, and then came down and sat in the chair across from Axel.

"What type of people are we?" Axel mumbled, and Lea looked at him hollowly. "It's just all one thing after another." The man sighed. "If I had have been stronger, you wouldn't have turned into such a brat."

Lea accepted that, for once, and looked down at his hands. Axel looked over at him with a steely expression, and then sighed. "Well, we'll call Reno tomorrow, and I'll ask him what he thinks about taking you in." he mumbled, getting up off the couch and starting up the stairs.

"Are you fed up with me?" Lea asked, and Axel sighed again, looking back at him. "If you stay here you'll turn into a crook. What you did today scared the shit out of me. I didn't know that you could be so angry, and so cruel."

"I'm not a monster!" Lea snapped, and Axel looked back around at him tiredly. "Prove it to me. And while you're at it, try being mature for once."

Lea sat on the couch, wondering how he had gotten it into his head to beat Ventus up like that. He'd noticed that Ventus wasn't fighting back to his full capacity when he dodged Lea's punch easy, allowing himself to be hit in the head. It made him angry that Ventus wasn't even trying to fight back. He'd wanted to fight him, and show him that he was dangerous, that he shouldn't be messed with.

No one thought he was 'manly' for what he had done. He 'disgusted' Riku, and his brother, apparently. That was a new low.

Slowly, he got up, and left the house. He trudged down the street to the local police station, and waited for the receptionist to help him.

"What would you like, honey?" the woman at the desk said sweetly, and Lea loathed the way that she talked to him.

"I beat up a boy." Lea said clearly, and the woman looked at him with a strange expression. "I broke his arm, and I gave him a concussion. I made him cough up blood. And I pulled his fingernails out." Lea added, and the woman looked at him darkly. "What do you want me to do about it?" she said seriously, and Lea shrugged. "Don't you have to arrest me?"

The woman blinked at him, shrugged, and got one of the policemen to arrest Lea and stick him in the cell at the back of the station. There were a few other weird looking guys in the cell who freaked Lea out, but he sat in the far corner and tried to keep to himself. "Hey!" one of the guys said, and Lea tried to ignore him, but the guy stalked over to him, and looked down at him as if examining him. "What did you do?" he asked, and Lea looked up at him with big eyes, thoroughly scared. "Hey, I'm talking to you!" the man growled, and shoved Lea against the wall. A police officer on the outside of the cell banged on the bars and told the man to stop bothering Lea. The man snorted, and trudged off, and Lea tried to stop himself from shaking.

Lea felt like he spent hours in that holding cell, but finally, there was a bit of a commotion outside, and Axel barged in fuming, and whipping his head around, looking for his brother.

"Lea?" He called, and Lea jumped up from the corner and ran over to the bars where Axel was. "Axel! I'm over here!" he squeaked, trying with no avail to mask how terrified he was. Axel called one of the policemen over, and they opened the cell and let Lea out. Axel grabbed him by the shirt, and hauled him back to the reception desk, where the woman was talking to someone across the phone.

"Alright." She muttered flatly, nodding to herself. "If he says so, then we have to honor that."

"What did he say?" Axel said shakily, and the woman looked at him with a sour expression. "Well, your little friend here is very, _very _lucky. The victim said that he wouldn't be pressing charges. I would hope that he isn't being coerced into keeping quiet." She added, shooting a disgusted glance at Lea, who put his head down.

"Okay." Axel mumbled, and signed some papers in order to take Lea out.

As they walked down the road, Axel shoved Lea ahead of him. "You'll have to thank Reno for this." He seethed, and Lea looked up at his brother in curiosity. "He paid your bail money."

Lea rubbed his face in exhaustion, and nodded.

"Did you think that you were a hero, turning yourself in like that?" Axel snapped, but Lea didn't respond. "Because you were just being an idiot. Do you want to lose that spot on the city Fruit ball team that badly?" He continued. Still no response from Lea. "Did you plan on bringing the baseball bat and the pliers?" Axel asked. "Not the pliers." Lea finally muttered, and Axel nodded.

"So you actually had the mind to kill him?"

Lea didn't respond after this, and Axel sighed. "I know that deep down you are a good person, Lea." Axel mumbled. "I also know that you wouldn't have killed him, even if you'd wanted to. You're not the type of person who enjoys people being in pain."

"I wanted to make him leave." Lea retorted. "I wanted to make him sorry for what he did."

"He was sorry, Lea! He screamed 'sorry' at you when you were hitting him in the arm with the damn baseball bat!"

"He was just taking it! He wasn't even fighting back! He was insulting me!"

Axel narrowed his eyes at Lea, and grabbed him by the shirtfront, shaking him hard. "You don't know anything about it!" Lea looked away at this with hollow eyes. "I was afraid that he'd beat the shit out of you, not the other way around!" Axel shouted, and Lea looked up at him with big eyes. "You didn't even think that I could defend myself?" he said in a shaky voice. Axel sighed.

"You said that you thought he was a good fighter yourself, when he purposefully let you hit him in the head. He could have dodged that easily." Axel explained. "Riku called me and chewed me out about it. He thinks you should be in jail right now."

Lea shrugged. "I know."

"But I just want you to have a chance to do better than the rest of us. You're really good at Fruitball, maybe you could actually turn that into a career, if you work hard enough at it." Axel chanced. "I just don't want you to ruin the rest of your life by putting something on your record."

Lea nodded to himself, and then looked up in puzzlement. "Why did you say 'the rest of us'? I thought Reno was doing well!" he piped up, the shine from Reno's accomplishments coming back into his eyes. Axel shut his mouth immediately, and looked straight ahead. "Isn't he doing well?" Lea asked, but Axel ignored him, and they walked in silence back to the house.

…..

Reno waited as Axel brought the phone up to Lea, his heart beating very hard. He didn't know why he was so nervous, he hardly knew the kid.

Finally, he heard Axel talking to Lea, and then the kid answered the phone with a high-pitched, nervous voice. "Hey, Reno!" Lea said in admiration. "Axel said that you wanted to talk to me about Midgar. Am I going to be moving in with you?"

Reno sighed, figuring that he should just cut to the chase instead of dragging things out. "Lea, there isn't going to be a Midgar. I don't know where you got the idea that you were coming over here." He finally said, wondering if he had been to blunt. There was silence on the other end of the line, then, Lea spoke again, in the childish voice that he got when he was upset. "Why not?"

"Lea, I'm not as great as you think I am. I can't support a kid in the environment I work in. Soon, though, I might be working in immigration in Nibelhiem."

"What about your Investigation Bureau job?"

"I'm going to be laid off, Lea. I failed at the job, and I botched up a case. I'm not cut out for this type of work." He explained. "Lea, I want you to stop looking up to me. I'm not a god. The 'good' from me won't rub off on you if you're near me, and to be honest, I hope none of me or Axel rubs off on you." He added, and Lea gulped. "Did Axel tell you about what I did?" Lea said shakily, and Reno snorted. "Yeah, he told me."

"I- I'm sorry." Lea said genuinely, and Reno clenched his fists in anger. "You know what, Lea? Maybe the kid deserved it."

"He… what?"

"He hurt you, didn't he? So you give him hell back!" Reno seethed. He could hear Axel asking Lea what Reno was talking about.

"You mean I was right to beat him up?"

"Who cares if it's right or wrong?" Reno finally muttered. "He won't mess with you from now on."

Lea didn't speak. Then, another line opened up, and Axel got on. "Reno doesn't know what he's talking about, Lea, it's wrong to hurt people."

"Oh! Who's _Axel, _thinking he's so high and mighty? Has he told you what he's done?"

"Shut up, Reno." Axel growled, and Lea coughed. "What are you talking about, Reno?"

"While he's telling you not to 'hurt' people who've hurt you, he seems to forget that he _killed _a guy for trying to do the right thing!"

"Hey! I didn't kill-"

"Well, you made sure he never showed his face again, didn't you? Weren't his last words to you, 'I don't want to go'?"

"What's he saying, Axel?" Lea shouted across the line, and Axel shouted at him to get off the phone.

"Lea, the point is, me and Axel have _killed, _blindly, just because we were ordered to do it. Not for revenge, not because we felt like it, but because someone said, 'kill them', and we did." Reno shouted. "I'm worse than Axel. I killed…" he started, and then he stuttered, not wanting to say anything more. But, he felt like he had to stop deluding Lea into thinking that he was a saint.

"I killed a whole city, Lea." He finally said, and the quiet across the lines was so vast that one could hear a pin drop. "I know where I belong. Under the ground with all those other people I buried." He sighed. "I know I'm being harsh, but if you're going to hate Axel for simply being a failure, and then glorify a mass killer, then you're shitting yourself. I keep the part of my life when I was a Turk locked away in the back of my mind, and I'm sure Axel does the same when he thinks about Organization Thirteen. At least I don't have to face my mistakes everyday. If there's any hero in this it's him, Lea, not me."

Reno didn't listen to hear what Lea said next, he simply clicked the 'end call' button on his phone, and smoothed back his hair, trying to dismiss the thoughts that were creeping into his mind. Then, he checked all the stalls in the bathroom one more time to see if anyone had been through them, and left, going back out into the hallway, and then into Max's quarters, where Lightning was sitting with a tired expression on her face.

"What were you doing?" she asked in tired curiosity, and Reno looked at Max with regret. "Just making a call."

….

Xehanort sat in his office, talking to Kadaj about his previous mission. "I didn't think that you would be fast enough to take them both." Xehanort said in a forgiving way, and Kadaj shrugged. "I tried my best."

Xehanort chuckled, and nodded to himself, while Kadaj worried. He hadn't expected Reno and Lightning to duck so fast. He had essentially failed his mission. "But, perhaps this is a good thing. We now know that the former Turk was willing to sacrifice himself for the girl. That could work to our advantage."

Kadaj bowed, and then stood uncomfortably as Xehanort examined him. Then, the old man spoke with familiarity to him, walking over to him and patting him on the shoulder.

"You know, Kadaj? I think that you just need a little bit of a transition period. I didn't expect you to do perfectly on your first mission." He chuckled, and Kadaj tried to find it in him to smile. "My ambassador's health is degrading at a sharp rate. I doubt that he will be able to cope with any more high profile missions in the coming weeks, so I will give you that transition period to learn and show your knowledge."

Kadaj nodded, wondering about what was wrong with Vanitas. "Is he… very ill?" Kadaj chanced, and Xehanort looked at him closely. "He is dying."

Kadaj blinked in shock, taken aback by the suddenness of his peer's condition. "I am so sorry." He said, and Xehanort waved him off. "It is of no consequence. He has carried out his usefulness."

There was a heavy air in the office that could not be shaken off, so Xehanort offered Kadaj to come down to lunch with him, and the young man accepted. Xehanort carelessly left the door to his office open as he walked out, so used to Vanitas closing and locking it after him, and the black suited figure slipped in behind them unnoticed. He clicked on the device in his coat pocket, and the cameras in Xehanort's office clicked off. He had already been down to the security chamber to ensure that the records of when the cameras were turned off would be deleted. So, he had fifteen minutes before the security database began taking account of when the cameras were turned off again, and fifteen minutes to slip in and out of the room and hall unseen.

He removed the set of keys from a book on Xehanort's bookshelf, positioning his debugger right above the alarm within the book so that it would not go off. Then, he began to hunt through various drawers around the room, searching for the keys that he could use to get into the restricted section in Xehanort's library. He had seen the old man using it at one time when he was younger, so he knew what it looked like.

Then, he made a cast of the key, and carefully put it back in its original hiding place, careful to clean it off thoroughly as to erase traces of his being there. When everything had been put back in its original place, he slipped back out of the office, shutting the door behind him. He hurried down the hall, slipping back down the stairs and towards the library, clicking on the device in his pocket again.

Taking out the cast of the key, he clicked open the section of the library, and searched quickly for the blue prints. He felt panic well up in him, as he knew his time was running out, but he kept searching anyway, looking earnestly for what he desired. Finally, he located the blueprints, deciding at the last minute to make copies of them. He looked at the clock, and his heart almost stopped when he noticed he had thirty seconds left. As soon as the copies were made, he placed the blueprint back in its place, and ran out of the section, shutting and locking the door behind him as quickly as he could.

He had five seconds to get to the original place that he had been standing in before he shut the cameras off, and he sprinted over there, again, as fast as he could. He got there with one minute to spare, and pulled out a book and pretended to read it, trying to get his breathing back in control.

He rolled up the blueprint copies discreetly and slipped them into his jacket, then made a copy of a page from the book he was 'reading', putting the portable copy machine back in its original place, and striding out of the library.

He went down further, until he reached the room that the machine was in, and slipped past the cameras again. When he was safely inside, he pulled out the blueprints, and set to work trying to repair the machine. All of the parts seemed like they were in tact. A few things needed to be replaced and perhaps rewired, but Vanitas predicted that he would be able to get it working again soon.

He had only heard the tale end of what Xehanort had been talking about to Kadaj. He felt a tinge of anger flurry inside of him, and he dismissed it, disturbed by the amount of emotion leaking into him with each passing day, even though he was taking his medication.

But, he put the bad thoughts about Xehanort away. He couldn't let that cloud his mind in these crucial days. He had work to do.

….


	14. Chaos

Lightning sat at Max's computer, flipping through various clippings that he had collected. He had been with the Investigation Bureau for a while now, and had long since been bent on catching Shinra. Reno was with him at the hospital. Lightning figured that he needed a bit of a break.

One of the clips caught Lightning's eye, and she pulled out a magnifying glass to see the picture in it more clearly. It was a news article talking about Xehanort, the only article centered on him in the whole pile of clippings.

"What an elusive old man!" she sighed to herself, looking at the article more closely. It was entitled_ 'Rebuild Shinra, or Let It Fall Into the Dust.'_

The picture included Xehanort on a podium, making a speech. Underneath the picture, the caption read, '_New benefactor arises in favor of rebuilding the great Midgar, after Meteor destroys the city and gives way to new surrounding Edge. His opinions on Geostigma and Deepground receive mixed reactions from the crowd, along with his plight to rebuild Shinra.'_

Lightning stopped reading, and looked up, dumbfounded at her discovery. Xehanort had been the first to talk about reviving Shinra, even after the WRO took over. When Rufus Shinra died, the WRO lost its backing. Through some source, people didn't fund it. It lost its novelty. Then, Sephiroth took over Shinra, giving it power again. And now his son, Kadaj was in charge. There was a disturbing connection between the old and the new Shinra.

Lightning got up, and began pacing back and forth, thinking about things. Xehanort was a well-respected official, known in the Planet, The World, and even as far as Pulse. He had enormous power over the people. And he seemed involved in so much, across such a vast distance.

Lightning got a chill as she thought about it. "Hey, Kid?" she asked, and the young man looked up at her a little solemnly. "What is it, Lightning?"

"Do you have anything on Xehanort?"

"He's looked suspicious to us for years, Lightning. But we can't find anything on him."

"What was he before? To Shinra, at least?" she asked, and Kid sighed.

"He was a long time friend of President Shinra. He raved about Mako energy when it was discovered, and continued to do so for years. We think that he was involved in the company in some way, but we can't get anything other than him being a benefactor."

Lightning nodded to herself, and then got on the computer, looking to see if there was anything on the computer. She snorted at one article, describing how Xehanort's 'subtle, caring nature had given him a penchant for helping the poor and desolate', with a picture of him surrounded by 'poor' children.

She was about to click away from it, when one of the children caught her eye. When she looked closer, her heart nearly stopped.

It was the man with the gun.

She didn't know _how _she knew it was him, because he looked so different in the picture. In the crowd, he had been wearing sunglasses and a hat that covered his dark hair. But in Shinra, he had just had the sunglasses on.

His messy hair hadn't changed much, but there was something different about it when he was a child. It wasn't as striking as it was now. It was still black, but it wasn't _jet _black. His little muddy brown eyes stared out at the camera blankly, and he looked pale and sickly, miles away from the tan he had sported when Lightning had seen him last. But it was him.

Lightning read the caption on the article, skimming through it to find the information she wanted.

'_Xehanort stands beside future inhabitants of the Orphanage for Children With Intellectual Disabilities in The Land of Departure. With his financial help, new facilities for the children will be created.'_

Lightning was puzzled by the caption, and looked back from the picture to the words below it in confusion. The boy in this picture, with muddy eyes that stared emptily ahead, a boy that had been dubbed 'intellectually disabled', could _not _have become the man that she had seen in Shinra, or in the crowd.

Her eyes widened as she thought more deeply into it, trying to form a theory that proved her right, yet was still plausible.

If Xehanort was friends with President Shinra, who had employed Hojo to genetically engineer soldiers so that their mental and physical abilities became virtually superhuman, who was to say that Xehanort couldn't have done the same thing with the boy?

She looked for a date on the article, and found that the picture had been taken 14 years ago. Her heart began to beat very fast, and she looked up information about the Orphanage. She cursed under her breath when she found that it had been shut down on charges of physical abuse to the patients just a few years after Xehanort's financial help. There were some terrible pictures of the living conditions, but in order to find the inhabitants, one had to contact the archives of the Land of Departure, located in the college there. But, the college had been torn down years ago and replaced by a hotel.

"Dammit!" She growled, infuriated yet intrigued by the elusiveness of the boy. She couldn't even tell if he fully _existed _yet.

"Come on, computer, work with me."

Salvation came through the fact that the archives had been moved into an alternate location. There was a contact number on their website that Lightning didn't hesitate to use; she was onto the receptionist in a few seconds.

When the receptionist had finished giving the routine brief introduction used for the website, Lightning got right to the point.

"I need information of a former inhabitant of the Orphanage for Children With Intellectual Disabilities." Lightning said shortly, and the woman whistled a little bit. "Long time ago."

"Fourteen years ago." Lightning added, and the woman sighed. "Do you know a name?"

"No. But I know what he looks like."

There was shuffling across the line, and the woman was walking with the phone. "We've just installed new cordless phones!" she jabbered, and Lightning half listened, shuffling around the clippings in front of her, continuously returning to the picture of the boy in black.

"Here we are! You want fourteen years ago? That would be…'98, right?"

"Yeah." Lightning said hollowly, her heart beating fast. It was momentarily disconcerting, because the dating methods were different in her region. She waved it out of her head.

"Right, let's see… there were 24 inhabitants in '98. Do you want me to look through the pictures?"

"Yes. I would love it if you could do that." Lightning said hurriedly, clenching her hand in a tight fist in anticipation.

"Boy or girl?" the woman asked. "Boy. He was young at the time. Looked around four."

"Well that narrows it down. There were fifteen boys. What did he look like?"

"He had dark hair, brown eyes, pale skin."

"Well, honey, about two thirds of the boys have dark hair and brown eyes!"

"They were a muddy brown. He had a blank stare. His hair was black and his skin was sickly and pale." Lightning elaborated, trying not to get snappy. There was more shuffling, and the woman sighed in satisfaction.

"I think that we _might _have your man, right here. His name is Bertrand Decker, and he was five years old in '98- so you were very close." The woman laughed across the line. She didn't know how serious the situation was. "He is the son of Silas and Adelaide Decker. They died in '98."

"Silas and Adelaide." Lightning mumbled to herself, and typed in the names on the computer. Eventually, she reached an obituary for an Adelaide and Silas Decker in The Land of Departure, who 'died peacefully within hours of one another at home.'" Lightning squinted at the pictures of the two in the obituary, surprised at how old they looked. The husband must have been at least sixty. The wife wasn't far behind. It must have been a shock to them when they had Bertrand. Strangely, the obituary said nothing about a child.

"Can you read me the rest of the information on his file?" Lightning asked, and the woman sighed, and there was a pause before she continued.

"Uh, height is 2'11'', weight is 33 pounds, physical appearance- well, you know that already… oh!" she squealed, and Lightning snapped to attention. "What is it?" she asked sternly, and the woman let out an 'aw'.

"It says here that Xehanort adopted him! I didn't know he'd done that! Oh, lord, this wasn't on the original file. I can tell by the nature of the document. This one was misplaced. You're very lucky!"

Lightning smiled to herself. "Is there anyway that you could send me a copy of that file?" she asked, and the woman shuffled papers across the line. "I don't know. It's confidential!"

"It's fourteen years old."

"Well… I guess I could send you a copy- but no distribution! If I find out that you've distributed it, you'll be done in for copy right violation."

Lightning tried to process that in her mind, but quit, opting instead to think about the papers that she would be hopefully holding in her hand in a few hours.

"I'm faxing it to you." the woman mumbled, and Lightning got the paper, taking it out of the fax machine like it was a delicate treasure.

"What did you want this information for?" the woman asked.

"I work for the Investigation Bureau." Lightning replied, and the woman gasped. "Would you mind standing as a witness if we needed you to?"

"What? No, talk to Martha about that. She was there when Xehanort was interviewed after the reopening of the institution."

"Alright." Lightning asked, and said goodbye. Then, she looked down at the paper.

Bertrand Decker. His tiny frame and severely below average weight matched his sickly features, and made Lightning a little bit sad. The picture was of the same boy in the news clipping. The same muddy eyes looked ahead blankly with a melancholy stare.

If Bertrand Decker were five years old fourteen years ago, he would be just nineteen now, yet he looked like a fully-grown man. Lightning marveled at the skill that he had to have possessed to slip through places unseen with his tall stature. But, she had gotten the information that she needed.

Xehanort adopted Bertrand Decker. The boy _must _have gone through genetic mutations to become what he was today. He must have possessed near superhuman intellect.

Lightning thought about the times that she had gotten through situations because of luck. She wondered if luck would be on her side again, or on the side of the boy who disappeared like air.

…..

Namine shielded her eyes from the sun as she looked up at the sky. Destiny Islands was beautiful today. She looked ahead of her, and saw Marluxia at the front of the shop, taking care of customers, and her heart fell a little bit.

They had had sex.

The magnitude of that statement hit Namine that moment, and she tightened her grip around the hose that she was holding. She had tried to drag things out as long as possible, but Marluxia wouldn't let her do anything. He'd treated her like a prisoner, threatening her constantly, until she finally gave in. Now, though, he had given her a job in the flower shop, and he said that she could go where she wanted as long as she asked him permission first. She tried to tell herself that things weren't so bad, secretly despising in her heart that Marluxia had finally won in the end.

She looked at the clock on one of the walls, and sighed, going over to Marluxia and gently tapping his arms. He looked at her fondly, putting his arm around her, showing her off for everyone. "It's two o'clock. Can I go to the beach?" she asked, and Marluxia looked at her in puzzlement. "What makes you want to go there?"

Namine shrugged. "I don't know. I just do."

"You're not meeting any secret admirers there, are you?" Marluxia chuckled, and an old woman in line smiled a little bit, obviously won over by the 'loving father' routine.

"Of course not." Namine murmured, fluttering her eyelashes, and Marluxia narrowed her eyes at her lewdly. "I see. Be back for dinner." He added as she scampered off, throwing her apron carelessly to the side.

She trudged down the road, stepping hard so that she could mash the gravel beneath her further into the ground.

She had gotten over her lost innocence as quickly as she could, busying herself with other things to take her mind off it. She worked diligently at the flower shop, and Marluxia became very impressed with her hard work very quickly.

As she kicked dust up in front of her, she remembered how Axel had been her first real crush. She sighed as she thought about him. She should have told him what she thought about him. She shouldn't have held onto herself so tightly. But what was the point in regret? What was done was done. She couldn't change things. The only real anxiety the whole situation caused for her was the fact that she'd have to deal with Marluxia until he got tired of her.

As the small dock where all the boats were kept grew nearer, she hunted for her own one that she had bought when she had her own house. The boat was now 'Marluxia's property', along with all her other belongings that he said she could keep- which wasn't much. He wanted her to 'start a new life by throwing out the old', as he said. He didn't like her associating with old friends, either.

She pushed away from the dock in her small boat, and rowed over to the island that Kairi, Sora, and Riku used to play on together when they were younger. She would've given anything to be there with them.

Suddenly, she recalled a memory that was put in Sora's mind. They were on the island, and they were playing together. Namine had been drawing. Of course, it wasn't true. She had been very good at making up genuine memories for Sora, because of how much she knew about him.

Axel crept into her mind again, and she wondered about what things would have been like if _he'd_ been part of the gang. And Roxas, too- and Xion. They could have all played together.

Axel would have been the 'voice of reason'- scratch that, _should _have been the voice of reason at 11 years old. Then again, Namine thought that maybe he would rather play with older kids than a bunch of six year olds. It was amusing to her that the likes of Lea would have been four. He would have been the baby. Axel would have had to look after him, probably. He'd get irritated and whine for the fact that he had to look after his little brother, but he'd do it anyway.

They'd all have learned to row together, and to swim together. They would have had lunch together, and picnics together. They all would have been typical childhood friends. Maybe if Namine and Xion had been good enough friends with Kairi, they would have been adopted, too. They could all be sisters! And everyone could have helped each other, instead of turning to Organization Thirteen to solve problems.

Namine was given a jolt as her boat hit the wooden poles that held the dock at the island down into the water. She got out, tied her boat up, and took some of the supplies she had with her, throwing them out onto the sand. She took a small lunch box out from the bottom of the boat, and brought it over to the supplies she had left in the sand, pulling out a towel to sit on, and a big umbrella to keep the sun off of her. She sighed in contentment, and closed her eyes, eating a pear.

Lea would have wanted to play with the 'big kids', so he would have wanted to go out wherever Sora and all of them were, so Axel would have _had _to come along. He'd sit out on the games at first, thinking he was too 'old' to play with little kids. But, eventually, he wouldn't be able to resist sitting out all day, and he'd get in on the games too. And when he'd sit out, he'd ask Namine what she was drawing, and she'd tell him. She'd draw pictures for him, and he'd hang them up in his room to appease her. But, over the years he would start thinking about her more and more, until…

"You're Namine, right?" A bubbly voice asked out of nowhere, and Namine sat up in alarm. It was Selphie. Namine nodded, and Selphie looked behind her, and cupped her hands around her mouth. "Hey, Kairi! Your friend is over here!" she called, and there was a patter of feet as Kairi ran over and poked her head around the parasol. "Namine!" she cried, and Namine smiled. "I was just thinking about you." Namine said wistfully, and Kairi gave Namine a hug, and sat down beside her.

"What brings you back to Destiny Islands?" Namine said politely, and Kairi sighed, rubbing her knees. "I broke up with Demyx." She mumbled sullenly. Namine's eyes widened. "I thought that you two were in a band together!"

"We still are!" Kairi said with a hint of anger in her voice, but then she cooled down. "But that may change soon. I've been given the chance at a solo career!" She added in excitement. Then, she looked away in sadness. "It wasn't going well between me and Demyx."

"The honeymoon period ended?" Namine said flatly, and Kairi looked at her in surprise at the bluntness of the remark. "I guess. Yeah. We probably didn't try hard enough to piece things back together." She added, shrugging. "But, you know, there was just one thing that I couldn't take." She mumbled. "What was that?"

Kairi sighed. "He wouldn't testify for Axel." She muttered begrudgingly.

"Didn't Axel kidnap you?" Namine asked, and Kairi nodded. "Yeah, but I understand now that that was for Roxas."

"I know, I was just asking." Namine said quietly. There was silence for a moment, before there was mad giggling, and Selphie ran past the parasol, being chased by Tidus and Wakka. Namine raised her eyebrows in surprise, and Kairi looked on sheepishly as Tidus grinned at her.

"It's a double date." She said quietly, and Namine furrowed her eyebrows. "You're already dating?" she asked, and Kairi looked as if she was a little bit hurt. "Why not?" she said defensively, and Namine shrugged. "I've got to get my mind off of him anyway." Kairi mumbled.

Tidus ran back over towards Kairi, splashing her playfully. Kairi's adventurous nature was set alight again, and she jumped up, running after him into the ocean and splashing him back. Namine sat and watched, aware and uncomfortable of how out of the picture she was. She hadn't expected anyone to be around the island today except her,_ especially _not Selphie and Kairi.

Namine wondered what had happened to Sora. She decided that she'd ask Kairi once she was finished her date with her friends.

Namine slowly got up, packed up her belongings, and put them back in her boat. Then, she walked down through the trees and past a large waterfall, looking for the secret place that Sora and his friends had gone to as children.

When she got there, she sat down inside of it, and resumed eating, looking around her at all the chalk drawings lining the walls. She wiped some hair away from her face, and gulped some food down, hoping that with it she would gulp down the tears that were welling up in her eyes. She couldn't hold it for long, though.

Namine wept as she sat inside the secret place, thinking of the way her life could have been if she'd been born a different person.

…..

The sterile air of the hospital made Ventus restless, and he looked around in slight frustration.

There was a knock on the door, and Ventus looked over lazily as Lea poked his head in. "Come to beat me up again?" Ventus mumbled, figuring that he had paid enough of his debt to Lea back.

"No." Lea said in extreme discomfort. It was obvious that he didn't know if he should have been there, or if he shouldn't. "Uh… I came to say sorry." He mumbled, and Ventus snorted, looking away out the window. Lea was about to sit on the edge of the bed, but he decided against it, and pulled up a chair. Then, he stood up again, not knowing what to do. "Sit down." Ventus said flatly, and Lea sat down, to Ventus' surprise.

The two sat in quiet for a moment; before Lea nodded awkwardly, and began to ramble on to break it.

"I found out some interesting family uh… history yesterday." He started, and Ventus looked out the window, not particularly listening to him. "It turns out my big brother isn't what I thought he was. I was supposed to move off to Midgar with…er, well… I _thought _I was… but... you get the picture." He finished in a hushed voice, and Ventus chuckled. "What picture?"

Lea shrugged, getting a little upset at the whole situation. "Oh, he just… he didn't want me to be there, with him. And he's done some… crappy stuff in the past…" he trailed off. Ventus turned to look at him, holding up the three fingers on his left hand that were bandaged up for Lea to see. It was also the arm that was broken. Lea looked at it with a hollow expression, gulping. "Sorry the one arm got all the, um… damage." He whispered, and Ventus narrowed his eyes at him, and beckoned for Lea to come closer to him. He looked at Lea with a dark expression.

"I know what you think of me. You think that I'm a weak, sick freak. I'm not weak. I am the other things, but I'm not weak." He hissed. "I got into a nasty habit when I was younger. I was always getting attracted to people who hurt me. I knew that I could beat the shit out of them- but I didn't," he whispered. "Because they made me feel like I deserved what I got from them. They made me feel like I deserved to be hurt, so I let them hurt me." He continued. "I said I was sorry for coming onto you. You've reached your goal- it won't happen again. I won't go near you ever again. But if you come near me" Ventus finished, with eyes that seemed bottomless, yet burning "I won't hesitate to deal you what you dealt to me. Got it?"

Lea blinked at Ventus as he turned back around and attempted to go back to sleep again, and twiddled his thumbs, wanting to say something else. "Well, maybe you should beat me up." He said hoarsely, and Ventus held back a sigh, closing his eyes and forming a response carefully in his mind. "If that is what you want." He finally said. Lea looked out the window, in deep frustration.

"Look, I don't want you to think I'm a monster. I'm really not. I just… I went crazy." He stuttered, wringing his hands.

"Do you want to be friends or something?" Ventus said flatly, and he heard Lea gulp.

"I guess you're a pretty, um… good looking guy." Lea said awkwardly, and Ventus rubbed his hands over his eyes tiredly. "I can see why you would think that someone else would say, um, no but mean, yes…" Lea blathered on. Ventus wondered if he believed his own words, or if he was just trying to appease him. When he couldn't stand Lea's talking anymore, he sat up, and pulled the boy forward by his shirtfront, until their faces were inches away from each other.

"So what? You want to give me a big kiss or something? Why are you still here?" Ventus said loudly, and Lea looked around uncomfortably, looking to see if any one had heard Ventus talk. "I've paid for what I did, why are you hanging around? After all, I might try something on you again if you stay around me too much." He mocked, and Lea looked at him defiantly, then the defensive posture was forced away, and Lea looked at Ventus seriously, pulling back a little bit. "I just wanted to say I was sorry. I don't know how else to say it. I mean it." He added, and Ventus shrugged. "I forgive you." He replied, and Lea's shoulders sank in relief.

He sat back for a moment, and scratched his head; feeling like enough hadn't been said. "You can go now." Ventus added, and Lea hopped up and exited the room, meeting with Riku on the way out. Riku glared at him, and Lea stared at him blankly, before turning and hurrying away.

Riku stalked over to Ventus, and sat beside him, holding his good hand. "What did he say to you?" Riku growled. Ventus shrugged. "A bunch of shit to be honest." He chuckled, and a hint of a smile formed on Riku's face, before it faded again into a serious expression. "But he apologized." Ventus added, and Riku snorted, shaking his head.

"You don't have to hate him." Ventus tried, but Riku ignored it. "I don't get why everyone's up in arms over this. I've had worse happen to me. I shouldn't have cried. It was babyish."

Riku looked away with a steely expression as Ventus examined him. "I was surprised that _you _cried, though. You're pretty babyish when it comes down to it, too." He said playfully, and Riku's shoulders fell, and he gave in. "It bugs the hell out of me how nonchalant you're being about this." Riku grumbled quietly. Ventus squeezed his hand, prompting Riku to look up at him again.

"At one moment there, Riku, I didn't know how dangerous Lea was. When he brought up the baseball bat, I thought he was actually going to hit me in the head. I could have dodged easily." Ventus said quietly, and loosened his grip on Riku's hand. "Part of me wanted to die. Part of me wanted to live. I felt like I was fighting, like when I was fighting Vanitas again. It made me sad and scared that I felt that way. It wasn't Lea who scared me, Riku. It was the choosing."

Riku shook his head at this. "What about the fingernail thing?" he tried, and Ventus smiled a little bit. "That did scare the shit out of me. I would rather have kept all of my finger nails."

Riku chuckled in spite of himself, and then frowned again. "I don't know if I can forgive the kid."

"Oh please, Riku. You hardly know me at all. Shove off, let me deal with my own problems." He said harshly, and Riku looked at him with big eyes. For a moment, Ventus looked at him sternly, but then he grinned, beckoning for Riku to come closer to his face. Riku bent down unsurely, and just as he was about to turn his head, Ventus kissed him, and nuzzled his nose against Riku's. It gave the silver haired boy a bit of a shock, but he kept his face down close to Ventus', captivated by the boy. "I think I love you." Riku blubbered, and Ventus laughed out loud, prompting a scowl from his new friend. "It wasn't meant to be funny." Riku growled, and Ventus stroked Riku's face with his good hand, beckoning for him to come closer again. When Riku's face was very close, Ventus put his lips to Riku's ear, and kissed it, before saying "me too."

Riku looked down at him in surprise, and then smiled hugely. It worried Ventus a little bit. The boy had never smiled like that before.

"Well, then!" Riku barked giddily, and jumped up, putting his hands on his hips and looking around him with new eyes. "It's nice to be loved!" he whispered, and kissed Ventus on the cheek again. "I just came to visit you for a little while. When are you getting out?"

"I think they said I was free to go tonight."

"Great. I'll pick you up. We can stay the night in the mansion again if you want?"

"Nah, Riku, Roxas' mom will want to pick me up." Ventus sighed. "She's worried after what happened. I told her I got beat up by street thugs, and she started raging about how the city was corrupt and disgusting."

"Tell her who really did it."

Ventus looked at Riku darkly. "It's done. Don't bring it back up again. I understand it."

"You may be the only one that does." Riku mumbled, and then sighed, giving Ventus a tight air hug. Ventus laughed.

"By the way, did he break your ribs?"

Ventus shook his head. "No. My stomach was bleeding though. And there's bruising. But I'm fine now." He explained, making Riku even more worried than he was before.

"Well, alright." He sighed, and waved at Ventus. "I guess then, I'll see you around?" he asked. Ventus nodded. "Come by Roxas' house tonight when I get out." He offered, and Riku nodded, smiling. "I certainly will." He replied. Then, he left the room.

Ventus sat in a bit of bliss for a moment, but then his heart began to beat, and an unbearable panic rose up inside him, threatening to consume him. The room around him spun, and when he finally got himself together, he realized that he was screaming Riku's name. The boy rushed back into the room, and Ventus clung to the sides of his hospital bed, looking back and forth in slight hysteria.

"What's wrong, what's wrong?!" Riku said to him, squeezing his hand, and Ventus tried to sit up in order to lash out at him. Riku forced him down onto the bed as gently as he could, and stroked Ventus' hair until the boy calmed down a little bit, and started to cry quietly. Riku wiped the nervous sweat off of his face, and smoothed Ventus' hair out, wiping the tears out of the boy's eyes. "Hold me Riku." Ventus sobbed, and Riku rested his head on Ventus' chest as gently as he could, trying not to put any weight on him. A nurse rushed in with a syringe, but Riku waved her off sternly. She stood by quietly, waiting to see if Ventus went off again.

"What just happened, Ventus?" Riku asked in masked bewilderment. Ventus breathed in and out deeply. "I don't know." He mumbled in exhaustion. "I was hardly having episodes at all for the longest time. I haven't had one this bad, since…" then, he furrowed his eyebrows together, and shook his head. "Since what, Ventus?" Riku said seriously, and Ventus chuckled strangely, as if he was in a different world. "Well, since I was near Vanitas." He said in a mystified way. "It happened when he was about transfer his consciousness into me… but…" Ventus' eyes widened, and he clung back to the bed again, grabbing Riku and squeezing his arm.

"He's come back for me, Riku!" he said in a strangled voice. "He's come back to kill me for making him fail!" he moaned, and Riku tried stroking his hair again. Ventus began to whimper, and Riku wondered just who Vanitas _really _was. "Will you protect me?" Ventus asked, and Riku nodded, holding his hand as the nurse reached for his hand and injected his arm. Riku kissed him as he fell asleep, and then rubbed his eyes. The nurse looked at Riku expectantly.

"Has he had a history of outbursts like that?" she asked suspiciously, and Riku looked at Ventus with a troubled conscience. The last thing the boy needed was to be stuck in a hospital for weeks on end to worry and degrade. "No." Riku said, sighing. "No, I think he's just in shock."

The nurse nodded, looking back on Ventus in pity. "I suppose it's common for a person who's been beaten out of the blue. Did you know his attacker?"

"No." Riku parroted hollowly, and the nurse nodded, and patted him on the shoulder. "You can sit with him if you want, but he probably won't wake up for a while with that drug in his system."

Riku nodded, and sat back down as the nurse walked out, staring at Ventus. Everything had seemed fine just a few seconds ago. It made Riku wonder if it would always be this way with Ventus, if this were a problem that Riku would have to deal with for a very long time. Riku wondered if he could handle it.

He felt a sense of foreboding as he looked at a serene Ventus, and wondered if he was right about Vanitas being in town. Riku would have to guard him as best as he could.

…

Kairi's room had been left untouched, presumably to 'welcome' her when she got home, but it made her feel strange for some reason, like she'd never left. Namine had never_ been_ in Kairi's room before, and it was uncomfortable for her. She felt as if she was trespassing on someone else's property. And Marluxia would kill her when she got home.

"This is nice." Namine offered out of politeness, and Kairi snorted. "It's like being put in a time machine. Same as when I was fifteen."

She rearranged the stuffed animals on her bed in irritation, and rearranged them again, before sitting down on the bed, tucking one under her chin.

"I am an idiot." She mumbled, and Namine looked at her in surprise. She sighed and shook her head. "I'm not cut out to be a singer. I mean, I wanted to get out of Destiny Islands because of Sora and Riku. Especially Riku."

"I thought you liked Sora." Namine said. Kairi nodded, laughing a little bit. "Oh, Sora of course, but for Riku, that was what made both of us so enthusiastic. He was the one who wanted to leave the most. The world seemed so _small _at that time- too small. The Planet and beyond were bedtime stories. We were so backward." She added, shaking her head and looking off into the distance.

"And watching Riku staring out at the sea was painful sometimes. He'd look at it like it was his salvation. That raft was his whole _being _at the time." She whispered. Namine leaned closer as Kairi pushed some hair behind her ear, getting ready to speak again. "One day, when I was twelve, we were all walking home together, and I suggested sneaking over to Riku's house. He didn't like us hanging around where he lived. His home was a mystery to us. Sora got too tired, so I went alone." She chuckled. Then her expression became wistful and dark. "I hid behind the bushes to sneak up on him, but when I got there, his mother was hitting him on the head for something. Then she locked him out of the house. He sat on the doorstep for hours before his brother let him back in. I was shocked." She murmured, shaking her head. "My parents doted on me so much- treated me like a princess. I'd never known that kind of treatment."

Namine sat by in silence, finally aware of how Riku became the way he did.

"And I've lost touch with that boy. I've lost touch with both of my boys. And myself." She added guiltily, sniffing a little bit and shaking her head. "I wasn't like this before! I used to be different! Four years ago, I was still a carefree kid, who never even _dreamed _of relationships, and sex, and record deals, and… success… It was just Sora, Riku, and I." She faltered on the last sentence, and coughed loudly, smoothing out the front of her dress. Then, she wiped a tear out of her eye.

"That year, _so _much _changed. _Fourteen. And I didn't remember half of it. I got out of the coma in time to see a world that seemed as if it was falling apart. But Sora was there. He was always there." She remembered dreamily, and it made Namine remember those years, too. Of course, _her _story at that time hadn't been as fuzzy as Kairi's.

"Riku had gotten himself into some trouble. Sora and I were left running around trying to figure out what was going on. Then, Sora left me behind. I was upset, on the inside. I'd only just woken up and he was already leaving me behind. But, I sucked it up. Gave him a good luck charm, and sent him on his way." She chuckled. "All I wanted was to see him again. And I did, in the end."

"Then, things started to get boring again. I was looking for a new adventure. And Demyx was so… _different. _He was a complete difference from _anything _I had had before. Sora was so… _childish. _Demyx was a man!"

Namine played with the balls of fuzz on one of Kairi's jacket absentmindedly, pulling them off one by one and letting them fall to the ground.

"And I fell headfirst into that world! I loved it at first. Everything was so fast, and spontaneous. But now I look back, and I wish that I'd kept my childhood a little bit longer. I can't go back now." She mumbled, sighing again and shaking her head. "And no one ever told me that heartbreak was this hard. Well, maybe they did… but who listens?"

Namine looked steadily at Kairi's jacket, her nostrils flaring with a strange anger that was rising in her. It killed her to know that Kairi had had the perfect life, and she threw it away without care. "I've had a lot of… heart break." Namine muttered, wiping at her eyes. Kairi looked at her strangely. "What?" she asked, and Namine rubbed her knees with her hands, looking ahead.

"My mother died when I was tiny. My dad didn't want me. The orphanages I was passed through were the same… dark, dreary, desolate… for different reasons." Her pitch rose, and Kairi looked at her in silent surprise. "Try believing in someone who turns out to be a _snake. _Try falling in love with someone who seems perfect at first, but would literally let you die _just _so he could get at another person!" Namine said loudly, and Kairi seemed awkward in her little room. "You don't need to be upset, Namine" Kairi tried to appease, but Namine avoided her hand, and stood up and pointed at her.

"Try being used over, and over, and over again! By professors, and crooks, and men who can't see past what you are on the outside!" She shouted. Kairi cowered back a little bit, disturbed by Namine's sudden change in disposition.

"I am tired of it!" Namine hissed, panting a little bit. "I held on for so long, and then just _gave in._ Don't you see the tragedy in that?" she asked Kairi, who stared at her blankly. "Namine, I don't know what you're talking about." She replied, and Namine's shoulders fell. How could a person like Kairi understand her? Namine stared ahead for a moment, suddenly humiliated for everything that she had said, and fixed her hair and dress in discomfort, coughing lightly.

"I apologize." She gulped, trying to put on a smile. "I don't know why I said all of that. Sorry you had to see that." She tried to laugh, and Kairi looked at her with a worried expression. "It's okay." She whispered. They both stood awkwardly in Kairi's little room, preserved from when she was fifteen, feeling out of place with all the fluff and innocence of the place.

Kairi looked around, slightly claustrophobic, and then chuckled. "What's so funny?" Namine mumbled, and Kairi shrugged. "Just all these stuffed animals. They're creeping me out a little bit. I might finally take the initiative and burn the lot of them."

"Don't do that." Namine said quietly, and Kairi sighed. "Yeah, I guess most of them never meant that much to me. I could donate them."

They both sat in silence, and Namine slowly inched towards the door. "Right, well. I think that I should be on my way."

"Of course!" Kairi blubbered, a little too enthusiastically, and let Namine out, jabbering on all the while about inconsequential things. When she was out of the house, Namine sighed, and sat on the steps, putting her head in her hands.

"You've really made a fool of yourself now." She mumbled, kicked a rock around at the base of the stairs. There was the sound of hurried footsteps, and Namine was grabbed off of the steps abruptly. She screamed in fright, but when she looked into the face of her attacker, she found that it was Marluxia.

"What time is it?" he hissed, and Namine gulped. "I don't know." She mumbled, and Marluxia pointed at his watch in deep frustration. "It is five o'clock!" He hissed. "You've been out an hour longer than you were supposed to! Your curfew is four o'clock!"

"Kairi invited me to her house!" Namine shouted, and it took everything in Marluxia to hold back from slapping her. "You are going to regret _everything _you have said when we get home tonight!" he sneered, fondling her breast out of the sight of other passerby. She squirmed to get out of his grip, but he tightened his hold on her, bending closer to whisper in her ear. "I've been holding out on you, I'm afraid. I felt sorry for you; I thought you'd really changed. You were so _obedient. _But, I see now that that wasn't the real you at all! I can't wait to hurt you!" he hissed, and the hairs on Namine's skin stood up.

But, something flared up inside her. It reminded her of the time that she told him to eff off. Suddenly, she smashed her sandal down on his foot, and kneed him in the groin as hard as she could when he loosened his grip on her. He staggered back a little bit, in agony, and watched, enraged, as Namine charged down the street smiling from ear to ear.

"Namine!" he squeaked a few pitches higher than he normally spoke, and then he coughed, trying to walk again. "Namine, you come back right now! Come back or I'll get Xion!"

"She's already been adopted, dumbass!" Namine shouted back at him, and Marluxia scowled, kicked over a trashcan at the side of the road. "Come back!" Marluxia roared one last time, but Namine disappeared into Destiny Village. At first, she headed straight for the train station, but then she decided against it, ducking her head in an attempt to hide her appearance as she legged it towards the docks. Marluxia would be calling the police, and she didn't want people to know where she was going.

She ran past the beach, and over to the docks, picking a hat off a boys head, and tucking her hair into it. She was about to take her own boat to the island, but then she saw a tiny little sailboat washed ashore. The mast had broken, and there was just a jagged stub where the pole had been. She shrugged, and jumped into it, picking up two planks of wood and using them as oars.

No one seemed to notice her rowing off in the mangled boat. There was a rowing competition for kids going on in the water, and she blended it pretty well. The plank oars were not sufficient at all, but she pushed to keep up with the other rowers, as they rounded the island. As soon as she was out of the sight of the beach on the main island, she brought the boat out of the water, and up onto the sand of the island. Then, she brought it up past the sand, and into the trees, hiding it under a dense brush.

The temperature was dropping, and it had begun to rain. Namine shivered as she sat under a paopu tree, looking up at the surrounding forest. She didn't know how long she would have to stay there. The way things looked, it would probably have to be forever if she wanted to avoid Marluxia. He didn't seem like he would be going anywhere.

Namine thought again about her outburst at Kairi's house. It had only been about a half an hour ago. It was still fresh in her mind. She wished she had just bottled it in. But, strangely, she felt a wave of relief wash over her. She had finally let at least some of her anger out.

There weren't many dry branches in the forest now, but Namine shuffled through piles of fallen leaves and wood to see if there was anything that she could use for a fire. She picked up a few branches worth using, and moved towards the old secret cave that Riku, Sora, and Kairi had played in when they were children. No one else seemed to know about the place, so she had a feeling that she would be safe there. She set up her little fire, careful to cover it so the smoke wouldn't betray her whereabouts. Then, she took her clothes off, laying them close to the fire so that they could dry off, and she seated herself near the fire, shivering heavily.

The storm got worse outside, and the wind moaned through the trees, sending a foreboding chill down Namine's spine.

…

Vanitas walked slowly towards Master Xehanort's office, taking deep breaths. He was to be given another mission, this time to Destiny Islands.

As time had passed, Xehanort continued to grant Kadaj more power, and continued to take Vanitas' freedom away. He had done it expertly, slowly edging away Vanitas' freedoms so the changes seemed minimal. But Vanitas was smart. He knew that Xehanort didn't want him 'running away and dying in the enemies hands'. He wondered how Xehanort was planning on disposing of his body. Would he have a proper funeral, or would he be dumped somewhere where no one could find him? He had decided that he would not permit himself to live out the remainder of his small life in a metal box, waiting in agony, to die.

He had moved the transfer machine out of the basement, miraculously, and into an alternate location. It had taken all his skill and cunning to think up an idea to transport something that big out of his master's territory. But, he had done it. Now all he had to do was get the girl.

He took one last deep breath, and finally opened up the door to Xehanort's office, trying not to let his lips curl up at the fact that Kadaj seemed to have taken permanent residence between its walls.

"Vanitas!" Xehanort greeted him, holding out his hand. Vanitas shook it, and then sat down in front of Xehanort's desk. "You have been informed of a new mission I want accomplished?" Xehanort asked, and Vanitas nodded. "Good. I want you to go out and… _persuade _the investigators at the bureau to stop prying further into this case."

Vanitas furrowed his eyebrows, wondering if Xehanort was crazy. "Harassment will make the case seem bigger than it has looked thus far. It would be suicide. It would just make the Bureau work harder."

"Not if its _star _was targeted." Xehanort replied, and Vanitas' expression went from puzzled, to cool. "Sora." He said simply, and Xehanort nodded. "You don't have to kill him. Do enough just to… _persuade _his father to quit the case."

"His father may not be that type." Vanitas tried, but Xehanort looked at him sternly. "His only son, Vanitas?" Xehanort snapped, and Vanitas fell silent. "Take as much time as you need." Xehanort added a little more softly, and Vanitas nodded, and exited the room.

He walked out of headquarters, and went through the usual routine, spraying himself with scent confuser, turning on a small trail eraser, and making sure to step as lightly across the ground as he could, as the little trail eraser followed behind him, making his footsteps disappear. He headed out of the clearing and back into the forest that surrounded the headquarters. When he reached the line of trees slowly consuming the Orphanage That Never Was, he sent the trail eraser back, and walked along the hardest part of the road, going towards a small, run down factory on the edge of town, which held his machine.

He had a motorcycle parked down the street, and he slipped out of the factory, and towards the contraption, built expertly to go along the roads silently.

He zipped down side roads, his white wheels leaving an invisible trail. He was careful not to leave any fingerprints on this machine, and the scent confuser he had put on earlier would make him 'disappear' if by some chance the motorcycle was taken in to be examined.

He finally reached the street he was looking for, and parked the motorcycle in a secluded area. Then, he slipped around a corner, and put his eyes on the prize. The mayor's house. He didn't know if Kairi would be there, since she lived in Port Royale, but he had had a fleeting feeling to check. He soon found that the feeling had been right. Kairi was outside, having a row with a pink haired man, who seemed to be injured. He eventually moved off, and Kairi looked wistfully towards the opposite end of the street, as if looking to see someone. Then, she went back inside.

Vanitas tried to stay cool and collected as he decided his plan of action. He would take care of Sora, first, so that he wouldn't have to deal with hauling Kairi along for the ride. Then, he would make his way to Kairi's house. He went back to the motorcycle, and took out a small pack, shoving it in his pocket. Then, he made his way to Sora's house.

When he was there, he took a piece of black clothing out from the pack and put it on, covering himself from head to toe. Its outer layer soaked up blood. Then, he took out a small vile of medicine, and injected himself, waiting, as the numbing effects grew stronger.

He slithered in the window of Sora's room, where the boy was listening to music, completely oblivious to what was going on. Vanitas edged towards him, waiting for the right moment. Vanitas noticed that Sora had a mirror on the inside of his desk at the same moment Sora decided to look into it. Sora's eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to scream, kicking his chair back at Vanitas, who jumped over it and grabbed Sora by the throat, putting his hand over the boy's mouth. Sora almost kicked him in the balls, but Vanitas sidestepped him, and decided upon throwing him out the window. The boy tumbled out, silent from shock, and fell to the ground, getting the wind knocked out of him. Vanitas jumped down neatly in front of him, and kicked him hard in the stomach. Then, he began to circle Sora, changing his physical demeanor to make himself appear daunting. He bashed Sora's head against the tree behind him, clouding the boy's vision. With his limited sight, and the illusion Vanitas was putting on, Sora grew frightened. Vanitas seemed to hulk over him, and Sora felt like the beast was enormous. It looked like a shadow that had come to life, all in black.

"How did you get into my room?" he asked in bewilderment, but Vanitas kicked him again, making him fall silent. He wailed on him a little more, until it took everything in Sora just to defend himself. "What do you want?" Sora asked shakily, and Vanitas continued to circle Sora, like a predator.

"I just want you to pass a message." Vanitas growled in a deep voice. "Tell your dad to stop working so hard. He might find himself in a situation that's above his expertise."

Sora gritted his teeth, and suddenly lashed out at Vanitas, who dodged him just barely. He hadn't expected the kid to have this much fight in him. He kicked Sora down again, and then the kid looked up at him strangely, furrowing his eyebrows. "What?" Vanitas growled, and Sora's mouth twitched up a little bit. "Vanitas?" he asked, and Vanitas stared at him for a moment, before the whole world began to spin around him, and he staggered a little bit, his emotions clouding his view. He hadn't heard such a soft voice say his name since…

Vanitas began to laugh, and it was through that, that he was able to regain control of himself.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not your friend. Though, I am a friend of your dad's." he added, bending closer to Sora. "And I'm about to become his enemy." With that, he beat up Sora until he couldn't sit up anymore, and began to walk away. "Pass it on." He muttered, and Sora tried to sit up, looking on Vanitas with rage. "I will pass it on!" he roared, and Vanitas looked back at him in wonder. "And I'll tell my dad to work twice as hard to put you where you belong!"

An unnatural, seething rage bubbled up inside Vanitas, and he growled, stalking back towards Sora with a killing intent. He raised the small knife he had brought with him, and pulled Sora's head up.

Suddenly, there was a commotion in Sora's room, and Vanitas scowled as he remembered the chair being knocked over.

"Sora!" a voice screamed, and a head poked out the window. Vanitas looked down at Sora with hesitation, wondering if he should kill the boy or not. Then, he heard the sound of a gun being loaded, and he whizzed to the side, missing the bullet that had been aimed at him. Sora blinked back tears, as he lay crumpled beneath the tree, aware of how close he had come to losing his life.

Night had set in on Destiny Islands, and the roar of coming thunder was heard. The storm was coming in from the sea, and it seemed to have already engulfed the beach. Vanitas sprinted down the road as fast and as quietly as he could, staying in close to the alleyways, where no sane person would be caught at night. He reached his motorcycle, and took off his suit, careful not to get any blood from it onto his regular clothing.

Then, he went towards Kairi's house. The mayor would probably be notified soon of what was going on. Vanitas was enraged with himself for his hesitation. He should have just left Sora, ignored him when he taunted him. He would have had more time.

Vanitas climbed up the window in his regular clothes, and into Kairi's window. He feared that the incident with Sora would be sensationalized in the news. If the same suited man was seen entering the mayor's house, it would be big news. And Xehanort would read it and wonder why Vanitas had gone to Kairi's home, too.

He entered Kairi's room, ducking low and trying to locate any mirrors. Kairi was talking on the phone. He bit his fist in deep frustration. He could hear cop cars in the distance, and Kairi went to look out the window, stopping inches away from where he was sitting.

"No, I was just worried about her. She totally blew up at me…" Kairi jabbered on, and the talking seemed to go on forever. Vanitas felt doomed. He should have been going now.

Kairi said 'bye' to the person on the other line, just as another phone rang downstairs. It was answered, and urgent voices were heard. The mayor called his wife to the phone.

Kairi was about to go downstairs to see what the commotion was, but Vanitas took his chance, and grabbed her, injecting her with some of his medicine. As he suspected, Kairi began to falter, and she fainted. On a regular person, the medicine would numb their emotions, swallow them in darkness, and turn them into a monster. On Kairi, it just knocked her out. The original substance that made her go into a coma was much stronger, of course, made to last forever, if it could. But this medicine, would keep her asleep until it wore out, in about three hours. Enough time for Vanitas to get what he needed from her. Then, he would cloud her memories.

He climbed down the drainpipe with Kairi in his arms, trying his best to make it look like he was a secret boyfriend that she was running off with. After hearing cop cars, people would probably have been at their windows to keep watch over what was going on.

He supported Kairi, and found that the medicine had not reached her brain yet. She could still walk ever so slightly. With a little bit of support, he walked with her down the street, laughing and kissing her cheek. Then, he brought her down the road to where his motorcycle was, and loaded her on the back, driving off into the night as the rain began to fall in Destiny Town.

…..

The mayor sat at his desk, mulling over a new construction proposition that had come his way. It was entitled, "Let's touch the sky!" with a picture of a big mall smack in the middle of Destiny Village. He didn't know if he wanted to do that to Destiny Island. Part of the appeal of the place was its country landscape. It seemed like a little old village by the sea. The only other port city, Port Royale, had _never _been a little old village by the sea. It had always been a bustling city. Destiny Islands was the only place in the region with a big ocean in front of it, _and _a picturesque, untouched landscape inside it. It seemed wrong to disrupt that. But, the city was losing major revenue. Either Destiny City commercialized itself, or it worked the tourism venue to a new level.

He ripped up the contract in order to keep himself from contemplating it, and was about to make a call to the tourism office, when the main phone rang. He raised his eyebrows, wondering who would call at a time like this. A storm was rolling in from the sea, and the sky was already getting dark. The phone rang another time, and he finally got up to answer it.

He picked it up off the receiver, and prepared to put on his 'mayor's' voice.

"Hello!" he said politely, and there was momentary silence on the other end.

"This is the Investigation Bureau." The person on the other line said simply. "We would like to inform you first hand that you have had an attempted murder in your city."

The mayor's jaw dropped, and his wife looked at him expectantly from inside the front room. She was reading the paper. "What is it sweety?" she chirped, and then smiled. "Is it Sandra? I know she'll be wanting an invitation to that garden party-"

"Darling, not now." The mayor said urgently, and put his ear back to the phone. "I'm afraid I have nothing to say. What is there to be said?" he mumbled absentmindedly. "Who was the victim?" he chanced.

"That is classified."

"I want to know if it was random, or if it was an official. I want to know if my family is safe." He added, and there was a sigh on the other end of the line. "We are sending a representative over at this time to brief you on the proceedings of the case."

"What is wrong?" his wife snapped, and he looked at her sternly, covering the phone with his hand. She was about to go and listen in on another line, but her husband saw a thousand different scenarios (most of which included a nervous outbreak from her if she heard what was being talked about) in his head. He decided to just call her over and explain in intervals. "Darling, come over to the phone!" he barked, and she hopped up, scampering over to him. Then, she waited for the information to come. "When will they be coming?" he asked, gulping a little bit.

"That is classified."

"Alright, thank you." He said in a strangled way, putting down the phone in a daze.

"Honey, I want to know what is wrong!" his wife said in a high-pitched voice, obviously nervous. Her husband sighed. "There has been an attempted murder in the town." He said shakily, and his wife's eyes became larger with fear.

"But nothing like that has happened for- well, for over three years! How could someone _do _something like that!" she wailed. Her husband tried to comfort her. "I know this is abrupt, but a representative from the investigation bureau is coming to our house very soon to brief us on the situation." This prompting more frightened blubbering from his wife. They talked for a moment, before stopping suddenly, both overcome with the same awful idea. They looked at one another, and then, as if shocked by lightning, they both raced up the steps towards Kairi's room.

"Kairi!" His father called, and his mother squeezed his shoulder. "If someone is in there, they'll get scared!"

"I don't want to think about that." The mayor growled, and bashed into Kairi's room, ready for anything. "Kairi!" he shouted, and noticed that the window was open. His wife ran down the stairs, and out the front door, trying to see what had happened.

She saw a silhouette of what appeared to be a man and woman, walking down the street arm in arm. It looked as if the man was kissing her.

"Kairi!" she called down the street, but the couple couldn't hear her, and they rounded a corner, still engrossed in one another. Kairi's mother wrung her dress in deep worry and frustration, trying not to be overcome by her emotions. Her husband rejoined her on the front step, looking around hopelessly.

"Did you see her?" her husband called, and she shrugged. "I don't know. She might have been with a boy."

"She WHAT?" Her father snapped, and her mother slapped him in the arm. "She ran away with that blond guitarist! I wouldn't put it past her to do it again!" she barked. Then, a voice from above called the woman's name. "Olive!"

The mayor's wife looked up at her neighbor who was leaning with her elbows on the rail of her balcony. "Are you looking for your daughter?" she said nonchalantly, and Olive nodded quickly.

"She went off with a young man. I heard the cop cars, so I decided that I'd look out the window, and then thought I saw him kissing her neck in her room! Scandalous!" she said. "So I put down my washing, quick as a whistle, and went towards the window, and he was helping her onto the ground! They went down the drainpipe, and I suppose he went first!" she almost gasped as she spoke.

"What happened next, Ms. Malone?" Olive gulped, and the woman looked up to the heavens, as if overcome by the scandalous nature of the situation. "_Well! Then, _wouldn't you know it, they're smooching and giggling as they walk down the street- to an alternate location!"

"What did the young man look like?"

"I don't know. Tan, dark hair, nicely dressed. I'd say he was a looker!"

"Completely innocent?" Olive added, and the woman snorted. "I'd hardly say _that." _

The mayor's wife seemed satisfied, and she squeezed her husband's arm. "I think she's okay."

"She's always going off with strange men!" he wailed. "Someday, if she doesn't change her ways, she's going to get herself hurt!"

"Maybe we need to start putting out foot down."

"She's eighteen, darling, she's an adult. Out of our control." He rebuffed, and then sighed, rubbing his tired eyes. "But I want her located! I want to call the investigation bureau, and I want her found!"

Just as they closed the front door, and went back into the living room, there was a knock, and when the door was opened, it revealed Sora's father.

"Chief!" the mayor said in wonder. Sora's father smiled weakly. "Yes, it's me. I figured I'd take a break, and come here to talk to you."

"What happened, Chief?" he said familiarly, and Sora's father chuckled with sadness. "My son is in hospital." He said simply. The mayor gaped, and then shook his head. "Your son was the one?"

"Yes. But no one else can know this. I don't want it in the papers. I want you to regulate the reporters. Do it as a favor- to me." He added, and the mayor nodded. "Of course. It'll be payback for all the times you helped me study in high school." He added, trying to lighten the situation, and Sora's father laughed weakly. "Yeah."

The mayor stood uncomfortably for a moment, and then looked at Sora's father with a worried glance. "What is it, Romeo?" Sora's father said seriously, and the Mayor sighed.

"My daughter went out tonight with a man I don't know. She seemed to be walking down the alleyway. The neighbor was convinced that it was nothing to be seriously _worried _over… you know what I mean. But I just want to be sure. Do you think you could…?"

"Of course I can. I'll get a team on it straight away." Sora's father said abruptly, and the two nodded.

"Wasn't she kidnapped before?" Sora's father asked, and the Mayor went red in the face.

"If you're implying that we're bad parents- it's not true!" Olive cut in suddenly, and her husband waved her off in slight irritation. "Yes. Twice. We've _tried _to shield her, but she's always intent on doing her own thing! I…." he looked down at the ground, scratching his head, and Sora's dad felt sorry for him. "We'll get her back for you. You should just be more careful. Her history makes her… eh, pardon my saying, _valuable, _in many cases."

"I understand." The mayor said hollowly, and Sora's father nodded, shook hands with his old friend, and then exited the house. "Going to see your son?" the mayor inquired, and the man nodded with a pained expression. "We wish him the best." Olive added, and her husband nodded.

They waved goodbye to the head of the Investigation Bureau, and watched as he got in his car and called in reinforcements.

…

Xehanort sat in his office pushing his papers around in front of him in a satisfied way. Kadaj looked at him with a blank expression.

"What is it, Kadaj?" Xehanort asked, and the man shrugged.

"I was just wondering if Vanitas was right about the intimidation technique you gave him, about it drawing unneeded attention."

"Of course he was." Xehanort said in an off hand sort of way, and Kadaj furrowed his eyebrows in surprise.

"Vanitas is beginning to slip up. His whole nature gives away the fact that he is falling apart very slowly." Xehanort explained. "Chaos breeds order… in downfall, one shall always rise up!" he hissed, clenching his fist. Then, he looked at Kadaj lazily. "And I shall be the one to rise up."

It took Kadaj a moment to process what Xehanort had told him, and when he did, he felt sorry for Vanitas. "But, he is so loyal to you… and you would just condemn him like that?"

Xehanort chuckled. "Obviously, you have no idea of what he was before he met me. A small, spineless, pitiful creature. Insulated from the world around it. Destined to live out a small, meaningless life. I have given him more than he could have ever_ dreamed_ of. Even after he failed me." He growled, regretting past decisions. "Perhaps I should have chosen someone else." He mumbled, trailing off a little bit as he remembered a time that was long gone.

Kadaj wondered at his own position in Xehanort's eyes. It seemed as if Xehanort had never truly regarded Vanitas even as a real _person. _Would Kadaj be thought of that way? "Would he not fight?"

Xehanort looked at him with steely eyes, and a slight grin. "He is ever loyal. I made him that way."

Kadaj nodded, and excused himself, taking a walk around the halls.

….


	15. Trapped

Kairi squinted as she began to wake up, looking around her in fear. She was in what appeared to be an old factory, and it was nighttime. Just a while ago she had been in her bedroom. She gasped when she saw the huge machine in the middle of the room.

It looked like a white sphere, with a base that held it up off the ground. It had two circular doors on it, and two trays sliding out of the doors. There was a man laying on one of them. He appeared to be fixing something. His hands moved quickly and nimbly, all his concentration was on this contraption.

Kairi stared at him for a moment, and then gasped audibly. There was a man lying a few feet away from her, snoring his head off. There was also a motorcycle. Kairi looked back up, and gasped again when she saw that the man that had been working on the machine was right in front of her. "Good, you're awake. I was just getting the machine ready." The young man said, grinning. His yellow eyes shone forth from his tan skin, and his jet-black hair contrasted with the rest of his coloring, making him look sinister.

"What do you want from me?" Kairi said in a shaky voice, wishing she were with Demyx right now.

The man didn't answer, and Kairi's eyes widened as he began to turn on the machine. It made a small humming noise, and the inside of it began to be transparent. There were two compartments inside, big enough for a person to lie in.

The man stalked back towards her, and grabbed her up, hauling her towards the machine, seemingly unperturbed by her objections. He shoved her into one compartment, and closed the door. Then, he hopped into the other one, and the door on his side of the sphere closed. The control panel was reconstructed so it could be utilized from the inside of the machine. The man messed with it a little bit, and then he lied back, looking giddy and excited.

A mist blew into both sides of the machine, and Kairi felt suddenly light, like she was shining. The man looked over at her every few seconds to see what was happening.

Small, snaky tubes slithered out from the side of the machine, and plugged into Kairi's neck. Then, she sucked in a nervous breath as she noticed a light substance seeping out from inside her. It only lasted a few moments, and it went into the man on the other side's neck. For a moment, he sat there, taking it in. The mist fell away, and there was silence.

The man's eyes were closed, and he looked as if he was in bliss. Then, everything began to go wrong.

The man began to shake, then his body jerked in jagged, painful movements, and he screeched in pain, clawing at his neck. He reached over to the control panel with shaky hands, and pressed a few buttons. The mist returned, and the tubes came back out, and the light substance went back inside Kairi, and out of the man beside her. He pressed the control panel again, and the mist dissipated. Then, the doors opened, and he crawled out, crumpling onto the ground outside of the machine.

The minute Kairi's door opened, she jumped out, and went over to help him up. But, he shoved her away, screaming at her to get away from him. Then, he walked with an unbalanced gate towards a freezer in the corner. In it, was numerous vials filled with dark, tarry liquid with the consistency of honey.

He injected one directly into his neck, the place where the tube had injected him, and waited as it seeped into him. The veins around the puncture began to darken, and turn black until the substance was dissipated throughout his body. He gasped for breath, and waited for the pain to go away. Then, he went over and kicked over the motorcycle in a rage. Kairi was deeply disturbed by his behavior, and sat aside, shaking badly. Then, he turned to her, and grabbed her by the shirt.

"Why didn't you work!" he snarled, and Kairi shook her head and shrugged. "You are princess of heart aren't you? You're made of only light, aren't you? Then why the fuck didn't the light from you mix with the darkness from me?!"

"The princesses of heart turn darkness to light." She said shakily. "They don't coexist with it. They vanquish it!" she added bravely, and the man's expression turned cool.

"So, you are a 'destroyer of darkness'?" the man said in melancholy curiosity. "I felt something eating away at me when the substance from you entered into me. It's made me weak." He commented nervously. "I'll probably need more medicine to combat the effects of this mistake." He mumbled to himself, pacing. "I'll lose time." He took some deep breaths to calm himself down.

Then, he looked back at Kairi, and walked over to her slowly and calmly. "I'm going to erase your memory, now."

In a few moments, Kairi had fallen into a deep sleep again, feeling like she was losing things as she started to dream.

Vanitas watched her as she slept. He'd already altered the memory of the man on the ground, clouding his memory so that he would think he'd spent the night with Kairi. If there were an arrest, this man would be the one arrested instead of Vanitas.

Vanitas sat down on the ground, trying not to panic. He had not succeeded, and he had no leads on what to do next. This had been his only chance, and he had failed. It disturbed him on how messy he had become. Especially with Sora. He should have anticipated the mirror, and the skills. He had been stupid and careless.

He tried to piece together some logic to work off of in his mind. The light inside Kairi would not coexist with any kind of darkness. In his case, it tried to eat away at it. When the light inside Kairi was taken out of her, there was nothing left to take over, so she went into a coma. When a _normal _person's light was taken from them, they turned into a monster. Those points seemed to lead to a dead end in Vanitas' mind.

When a regular person was bitten by a heartless- or fed its venom, for that matter, they were turned into the creature themselves. The venom ate away at the light substance inside of them, turning them into monsters. When Kairi was injected with the venom, she just fainted, until her body had destroyed the substance completely. Then, she woke up again. But, a person who's light _didn't _destroy darkness, or _didn't _destroy the venom, what would they do?

"They would have to expel it somehow." Vanitas mumbled to himself, and then chuckled. So, he'd have to find a person who would 'expel' the poison. That posed a huge problem. He didn't have time to go through the whole population, trying to find someone who peed out the venom.

He snorted as he thought about it, chuckling a little bit. But, then he remembered that the situation was very serious. He ran his fingers through his hair, his heart beating very fast.

"Shit!" he growled to himself. How would he find them?!

The only people he could think of who had completed extensive study on the topic, were Ansem, and Xehanort- Ansem especially.

Vanitas chuckled, thinking that perhaps he shouldn't have listened when Xehanort told him to place a detonator inside the experiment Ansem was going to show at the Science Gala a few years back.

Vanitas decided to get down to work, and hauled Kairi and the man out of the factory and into a hotel nearby. The man had rented a room in it. Vanitas had slipped into the security room a while before, messing with the cameras as usual so that they bugged up occasionally. It would make it seem as if they had a technical error. But it would also buy time for him to put Kairi and the man in his hotel room. He did so as quickly as he could, and slipped out of the hotel.

The security guard in charge of the cameras came back from the coffee room nearby, and gave a loud grunt of disapproval, banging on the top of the TVs hooked up to the cameras.

"Bob, they're messing up again!" he hollered, and Bob came in grumpily to see what was up. "Must be the cameras again. They're always messing up!" he mumbled, going down to see what was wrong with them.

Vanitas decided to leave the motorcycle outside, dousing it with the man's DNA and fingerprints he'd gotten. He left the motorcycle, and went back to the factory, clearing up his area and getting ready to move the machine.

The darkness aided him in getting all his supplies back to headquarters, and he slipped past everyone's sight whilst on his journey- even Xehanort's.

….

Aerith and Zack sat on the couch together, watching TV. They still hadn't really gotten past everything that had happened to them, but they held onto each other tightly, afraid that they would be separated again.

Cid was humming in the kitchen. He'd decided to cook dinner that night, but had wound up setting the stove on fire, so they all got pizza instead. He'd insisted on cleaning up, too.

"You two love birds okay in there?" he roared, eyeing Zack skeptically, and Aerith and her fiancé nodded, snuggling up closer to one another. Cid shook his head, banging around pots and pans. "You two make me sick." He grumbled. "All this lovey dovey crap! In my day, they didn't have that! Ye did that in _private." _He continued, roaring from the kitchen into the living room. Zack chuckled a little bit, and Aerith smiled.

"How's Yuffie doing, Cid?" Aerith asked out of curiosity, and Cid looked out the window. "She's sitting out with Loz." Aerith nodded, playing with her ponytail.

Outside, Yuffie sat sunbathing, with her head on Loz's lap, who was coloring in a coloring book. "What page are you on now, Loz?" she asked brightly, and Loz grumbled that he was 'coloring a farm'. Yuffie had gotten him the coloring books to help him stop his worrying habit. He was mowing through them everyday since Kadaj had disappeared. "Don't worry about him, Loz." Yuffie said quietly, and Loz looked up with misty eyes. "He'll come back, Loz. Don't worry."

"He's in trouble." Loz said in a hurt way. "He won't answer when I call."

"Ah, he's just being rude. Did you upset him over something? Maybe he's giving you the cold shoulder."

Loz looked puzzled, and scratched his head as he thought about it. "I- I don't think so…"

"Well, then, maybe he's just forgetful."

Loz snorted at this, looking ahead darkly. "He never forgets anything." He mumbled. Yuffie looked at him for a moment, and then reached up and patted him on the chin. He usually just sat looking ahead when she did that. But this time, he scooped her up, and gave her a huge hug, nuzzling his face into the crook of her neck. Yuffie patted him on the back, and then ruffled his hair up. "Come on, bruiser, what are you getting all upset over?"

"I'm not a bruiser." Loz mumbled sulkily, and Yuffie laughed, and kissed him on the cheek. "You're right. You're a big softy. You act all tough on the outside, but on the inside you'we just a big teddy beaw." She said in a baby voice, pinching Loz's cheeks. "I'm not a teddy, either." He mumbled, and Yuffie hugged him. "Yes you are! You're my teddy!" she said, and she spied a hint of a smile creeping across Loz's face.

"No I'm not." He said playfully, and Yuffie sat in his lap, and stroked his hair. "Yes you are! And don't fight with me on this one, I won't take it!" she added in mock seriousness, and Loz looked at her sheepishly. "Okay." He said shyly, and Yuffie patted his cheek again. "That's the spirit. How was dinner?"

"It was pizza." Loz said flatly. "Who am I complimenting by saying it was good?"

Yuffie scowled playfully, and shook her head. "You are _sour _today."

Loz shrugged, and went back to coloring. There was a stack of finished ones in the living room that were waiting for the recycling van. This one looked like it would join them very soon.

Yuffie thought about Kadaj. He had always seemed to be the most distant of the brothers. She wondered what had happened to him to make him that way.

…

Aqua walked down the street to the Land of Departure's old, run down police station. It still had the "Land of Departure Police Station" sign on it, even though the city was basically a ghost town now. The Land of Departure didn't really exist anymore.

She sighed, and walked towards the building, trying to formulate how she would introduce herself. Then, she rolled her shoulders back, and walked forward. When she got in, she saw that there was a reception desk, and one sole police desk in the back. There was also a storage room, barely visible by its trapdoor leading down to the basement. It looked kind of foreboding.

"Hello?" the receptionist said flatly, and Aqua snapped to attention, smiling at her. "Hi, I'm looking for Croc."

The receptionist nodded, and then told her politely to wait a minute. Then, she stood up, hoisted her skirt up and put her hands on her hips. "CROC!" She screamed, and the man came out of a small backroom that held a fridge. "Someone want me?" he said, and the woman pointed to Aqua.

"He's ready for you." She said sweetly, and Aqua nodded, giving a quick 'thank you', and then went over to Croc.

The man's long, pointy nose twitched a little bit, and there was a ticking sound coming from inside his suit coat. He wolfed down a Sloppy Joe as fast as he could, licking its remnants off his face expertly. "How can I help you?" he said, bowing a little bit, and Aqua noticed the watch in his waistcoat. It looked ancient. "I need a little bit of help." She said. Croc was looking at her hungrily.

"I want some information on Organization Thirteen. When Axel was employed."

Croc smiled with an enormous, toothy grin. "Well, that information is classified, little lady." He chuckled. "'Twas put into these humble hands by one of the members themselves."

"Didn't Axel speak with you about turning in Organization Thirteen?"

Croc thought for a moment, and then shrugged. "Can't say I remember." Then he smiled knowingly, and Aqua pursed her lips in deep irritation. "What was your understanding of the situation, as an outsider looking in?"

"Are you a reporter?" he asked, and Aqua shook her head. "No. I am a lawyer."

Croc chuckled. "Pretty ladies like you shouldn't be getting jobs as stuffy old _lawyers." _

"Actually, our work gets _very _interesting. Like some of your ways of coming about things." She added, and Croc's smile faded. "I know a thing or two about a few agreements _you _have had with a few thugs in the past."

"What do you mean?" Croc growled, and Aqua shrugged. "Aw, you know. The 'don't ask, don't tell' thing. They're in the police station near us, if you'd like to ask them personally."

Croc blinked his eyes, and then narrowed them, grinning snidely. "Well, don't you know how to work it!" he chuckled, and beckoned for her to come downstairs into the storage room.

He pulled out a box of tapes, and shoved them at Aqua, who caught them hap hazardously, almost dropping them. She set them down just after another was given to her, which she set on top of the other one.

"These are all security tapes from Organization Thirteen, given to me by Saix. He said he'd kill me if I showed them off, you know? They're for rental of course. I think you would do well to look at tapes 4 through 10, 15, and _then _tapes 20, 23, 25- that's a big one- and last but certainly not least, 30. They cover a long ass time, so you're gonna be in for the long haul."

"Thank you." Aqua said quietly, and then looked back at him. "What was your involvement with Axel?"

"That is not my place to tell. Turn me in if you want, but I won't tell."

Aqua clenched her hands into fists. "Please, he'll be sent to jail!"

Croc looked at her with narrowed eyes, and then turned back around to the tapes. "Lot's of people get sent to jail little lady. Lots. He ain't the first, and he's definitely not gonna be the last."

"Can you witness?" Aqua tried, and the man snorted. "Little lady, you just don't quit!" he chuckled. "Well, I like you. So I'm gonna break my number one rule. Yeah, I worked with Axel a little bit. It's in the tapes. He and his buddy had a plan to take over the Organization. Axel backed out after another friend of his clocked out. Then, he started fighting for the opposite side. The only reason he helped Sora, was to help his clock out friend. Ol' Xehanort didn't know that, and neither did his son. Axel kept it a big secret, or the rest of 'em were just too dumb to notice."

Aqua smiled, feeling like things were looking much brighter for Axel. "Can you come in to the station and talk?"

Croc sighed, and shrugged. "Well, I've been around for a long ass time. What have I got to lose, anyway?"

He trudged out, and chuckled. "But remember, my word ain't the best." Then, he helped her up the stairs with the tapes. "Remember, these tapes and your brain are all you've got. Work 'em." He added seriously, and patted her affectionately on the shoulder.

"Thank you again." Aqua said, and hauled the tapes out of the office as Croc and the receptionist waved goodbye.

She walked out of the police station with the boxes of tapes in hand, and shoved them into her car. Her back would _not _be in good shape after carrying all that stuff.

When Aqua got into her car and started driving, she looked out onto the horizon, the untouched grassy fields surrounding everything, and had a sudden urge to visit Castle Oblivion. She drove over to the towering behemoth to look at what had once been her school.

Parking her car at the right side of the entrance, she got out, and trudged over to the entrance. She could see graffiti lining some of the dark outer walls; vulgar language, confessions of love, and other statements, sometimes large, sometimes tiny. The whole place looked utterly defeated, miles away from the majesty that it had once had. "Shame." She said to herself, and trudged over to the double doors at the entrance.

The chain and lock holding them closed seemed to have been broken a while back. She was able to open the door to the point where she could just squeeze in underneath the old chains, and she closed it behind her, looking around. The hotel had been closed down for a long time, now, and the white walls looked bleak and empty as always. There was the occasional spray of graffiti on the walls, fading quickly. At the second floor, the graffiti stopped. She walked around the castle aimlessly, until she reached that chamber that had been left vacant for so long.

"This is where I left you, Ventus, before I met up with Xehanort. You had to get out of this mess on your own." She whispered, and her words reverberated off the walls. When she couldn't bear to stand around any longer, she left the room, taking the various precautions needed to keep it secret. She thought that she'd long forgotten them.

Aqua ascended the stairs, going higher and higher, until she reached the top floor, and went over to one of the windows, looking out of it, breathing in the scent of the stormy air that always hung around the castle.

She heard a shuffling behind her, and all her defensive skills came back to her. She spun around, prepared for a fight, but she paused when she saw that it was Xemnas.

"Aqua?" he said in a strangled tone of voice, and Aqua folded her arms over her chest defensively, scowling a little bit. "What are you doing here?" she snapped, and the man shrugged, looking around him. "You regret to remember, that _I _once walked these halls as a student, also."

"You were out of college for a year when I graduated." She rebuffed, looking away. "I barely knew you."

Xemnas smiled, spreading his arms out and moving closer. "Don't you remember me from elementary school?" he joked, and Aqua snorted.

"Yeah, I think I do." She said, mock remembering. "You were that sixth grade bully that always messed with the younger kids. I had a couple of run-ins with you in first grade. Imagine a big sixth grader messing with a tiny girl." She sneered, and Xemnas chuckled. "I tend to remember it the other way around. You were a tough first grader. You were always really tall, too. I used to be very short. I remember _you _picking on _me."_

"That's even worse- getting picked on by a first grade girl." Aqua mumbled, but Xemnas looked around again. "But look at me now."

"Yeah. Still a coward." Aqua hissed. Xemnas whipped his head around to her. "I don't regret my decisions!" He barked, looking down at his feet. Aqua looked at him in pity. "I didn't ask if you did or not."

"You passed the Mark of Mastery Exam, didn't you?" Xemnas tried, and Aqua nodded. "Yeah. And I bet Terra and Ventus would have eventually passed too. That is, if your dad hadn't intervened."

Xemnas scowled, looking off into the distance. "I am not responsible for my father's actions." He growled, and Aqua stamped her foot into the ground angrily.

"Where is my friend!" she barked. And Xemnas shook his head in agitation.

"I said where is my friend!" Aqua repeated, and Xemnas looked back at her in anger. "I don't know!" he roared. "I don't know a thing about your friend!"

"Don't lie!" Aqua retorted. "You know something!"

There was silence, and Aqua looked at Xemnas expectantly, searching his features for any weakness. "You are pathetic!" she hissed. "You're a copy of your father!"

"I am not my father!" he seethed. "I am my own person."

"Then stop toddling around after him like a child. Tell me where Terra is." She said lowly, and Xemnas shifted back and forth uncomfortably.

"He's gone, Aqua." He said finally, and Aqua almost had the breath knocked out of her. She couldn't understand. "What?" she mumbled in bewilderment. "Do you mean that he's dead?"

"Most likely. The day he left, he said that he'd join my father. But then, he vanished."

Aqua's eyes teared up, but she wiped at them bravely, staring at Xemnas with hatred. "And you just let him go?" she mumbled, and Xemnas chuckled. "I hardly knew the kid. It didn't matter to me one way or another."

Aqua looked away in frustration, as Xemnas went closer to her, addressing her personally. "But I knew you." He whispered, reaching out for her face, but she pulled away. "You don't know a _thing _about me." She hissed. "Don't act like you ever did."

"Of course I did!" He snapped. "I was the reason that anyone ever took any interest in you!"

Aqua opened and closed her mouth in shock, and then gritted her teeth in deep anger. "How _dare _you say something that ridiculous!"

"Remember when you were in fourth grade? How you told me you _dreamed _of becoming a super hero?" he barked, and Aqua looked hurt for a moment. She had forgotten all of that. "I- I don't remember." She said weakly, giving herself away, and Xemnas pursued it further, much to her discomfort. "We used to play together, don't you remember?" he tried, and Aqua squirmed. "That was a long time ago, Xemnas."

Xemnas went near her and looked out the window, too. Aqua was so confused; she didn't know what to do. By all means, she should have hated him, but something inside her just couldn't decide whether to oppose him or to forgive him. So she just stood there with him, angry and puzzled.

"We used to sit right out there." He said, pointing towards what used to be the twin peaks. "We'd go up the mountain and sit there eating the cherries that fell from the trees."

"You followed me up the mountain." Aqua growled. "And when I told you to go away, you'd just stand there like you were about to cry. The only reason I sat with you was because I felt sorry for you. An eleven year old boy, charging around after a six year old girl."

"I admired you!" Xemnas tried, and Aqua snorted. "Why didn't you hang out with kids your own age?"

"Because I was shy." He snapped. "But, anyway, you were in fourth grade, and you told me that you really wanted to be a superhero."

"Yeah, and you made fun of me." Aqua retorted. "You got all cynical and said that I was being a 'dumb kid'."

"I was fourteen! I was going through teenage angst!"

"Well you forgot that I was still a kid!"

"I did not!" Xemnas said loudly, before going quiet. "I know I was mean, but I was just kind of embarrassed hanging out with you at that time. I was five years older than you! "

"So you were trying to get rid of me?" Aqua responded, and Xemnas rubbed his forehead with his fingers. "I-… This isn't the point."

Aqua rolled her eyes, and folded her hands in front of her, eyeing Xemnas with a steely glare. "Then what is the point?"

"The point is, that I felt bad about just saying to you 'I'm not your friend anymore.' I thought that if I could make your dream come true, you would respect me more, and not be so let down."

Aqua frowned. "You mean, the dream of me being a super hero?"

"Yes!" Xemnas replied. "So, I started talking to my dad about it. And it turned out that Eraqus had already talked about making this Academy on the college campus that would cater to kids who couldn't pay for extensive training." Xemnas explained. "You know how there was already that really expensive Academy nearby that prepared kids for really high profile jobs, including training them to take the Mark of Mastery exam?" Xemnas said enthusiastically, and Aqua nodded slowly. "Well, I thought if my dad and Eraqus made an Academy that let kids in for _free, _then you'd be able to be a super hero, in a sense!"

"By taking the Mark of Mastery exam?" Aqua asked flatly, and Xemnas nodded, taking hold of her hand. Aqua pulled back a little bit, her mind whizzing back and forth, not knowing what to do. "I convinced my dad to talk to the board about the school idea, help Eraqus get his point across. And it happened! And you got to be a part of the first class of the Masters Academy!"

Aqua smiled a little bit. "Yeah. I remember that. That was the happiest day of my life." She said quietly. Then, her expression darkened. "Me and Terra were the only two kids in the class that year." She chuckled. "It was tiny. But Eraqus became like a dad to me. Terra became like a brother. And so did Ventus." She whispered, and turned around, clenching her fists in anger. "Do you want to know what happened?" she said coolly, and Xemnas didn't answer.

"I took a test to see if I was smart enough to get into the 'special new school' that was being made for poor kids. A lot of parents didn't sign their kids down, because of pride. So I was one of the few who got an acceptance letter, and went into first year." She said quietly. "I was twelve at the time. I guess you were in twelfth grade, right?" she added, not expecting an answer. "I was really scared. I'd heard that there was only going to be one other kid in the whole first class. Terra and I became friends. Then, when _we _where in twelfth grade, this nine year old kid was put in first year. We were all in awe, because he was so young. Eraqus told Terra and I to befriend him, because he was shy, and he had a bad family life. So we did." She said shakily. "Then, your dad turned Terra over to _his _side. He made my friend into something I couldn't even recognize. And he killed my teacher. And he destroyed Ventus." She gulped. "And then, the school was shut down. And look at what has happened now." She seethed, looking out on the dark, stormy skies. "A whole city ruined by one man."

Xemnas had gone away from the window, and was sitting down in a chair that had been left in the room. He sighed, and put his face in his hands. Aqua turned around to look at him. "If you worked so hard to make my dreams come true, why did you sit by and just watch them be destroyed?"

Xemnas looked up at her strangely, and shrugged. "To be honest, Aqua? I didn't really give a shit." He snarled, getting up and shoving the chair away. "As I got older, I changed. We all change, right? I went to school, got a degree. But things just weren't working out for me. My dad was ashamed of me." He explained. "I just wanted to make him happy with me, for once."

Aqua looked at Xemnas with a pitying glance, and looked back out the window.

"But I would like to say that I am sorry." He said quietly, and Aqua shut her eyes in frustration, trying not to shake her head. She felt a hand touch her waist, and slip around her. Then, Xemnas' lips fell on her neck, and he ran them over her skin, brushing aside her hair, and pulling her closer to him as he did. "I always knew you had a thing for me." She muttered, and Xemnas chuckled.

Xemnas continued to kiss her neck, wrapping his arms around her waist, and pulling her into a tight embrace. When he tried to turn her around to face him, she gently put her hand over his lips, and pushed him back.

"I'm defending Axel at his trial, you know." She said quietly, and Xemnas' eyes widened in deep shock. "I'll be seeing you again tomorrow when your lawyer and I discuss the specifics of the case with the judge." As she said this, Xemnas began to shake his head, and grabbed her hands, holding them close to him. "No, Aqua, you can't do that!" he hissed, but Aqua ignored him, letting go of his hands, and walking towards the door that led to the stairs. "You'll always lose against my father!" he barked, and Aqua descended the steps, with him following close behind.

"Aqua, don't do it!" he pleaded, and Aqua turned back around to him. "Take it back, then!" she spat, and Xemnas' mouth fell open. "What?!" he said, and Aqua looked at him coolly. "Or even better, take everything that your father has done, and take it back. Make it so that it never happened. Then I'll stop." She hissed, and left him standing on the doorstep of the castle.

She hurried back to her car, checking the time. She also checked every single tape, sighing when she found that they were all still there. Xemnas was just beginning to walk out of the entrance when Aqua began to drive away. She wiped at her eyes again, breathing out deeply, trying to get a hold of herself. She felt bad for some reason for making Xemnas feel the way he did, but the years of them being friends had long since been gone.

She lost every shred of respect she'd had for him the day that he sat by and watched as his father had told her to get out of town, and never come back.

…..

Lightning stood outside of what used to be the 'Orphanage for Children With Intellectual Disabilities'. There was a very large penis spray painted on the back of the rundown building, and various curses and gibberish sprinkled along the rest of its surface. Despite all that, it was rather quaint. The paint was fading and peeling off, and ivy was near taking over one side of it, pulling the right wall down at an angle.

With the extensive dilapidation evident of the place, Lightning found it difficult to find out just where the picture of Bertrand and the other children had been taken. She found that the one in the newspaper had been taken at one of the side doors, and another picture had been taken at the entrance.

The moment Lightning entered the building she got the chills. Sunlight streamed through a hole in the roof, but other than that, the place was dark, dreary, and creepy. Lightning pushed the hair away from her face, and skimmed through the various pictures that she had printed off the internet of the inside of the place. There was a room off to the side where 'misbehaved' children were punished. Her stomach turned when she noticed that there was a faded bloodstain on a small piece of fabric that had been left on the floor.

She skimmed through the pictures in hand, and came to one with the caption 'time out room'. It was in fact the room that she was standing in. In the picture, a little girl stood in the corner with her nose to the wall. Her hair was cut short and plain, and her dress looked ragged and dirty.

Lightning didn't know why she had bothered to come in here. Maybe it was to get a feel for what she was getting herself into, to get pumped in a dark sort of way. She thought that this place would make her angry, but it just scared the shit out of her. She felt like she could hear the moans and cries of hundreds of forgotten children, all around her. It only took her a few minutes to grow tired of the environment, before she ran hurried out of the building for a breather.

She doubted that she'd find any 'evidence' of Bertrand in this building. He was adopted on the opening day of the Orphanage, so he wouldn't have gotten to stay in it for very long. But, she went back in anyway, feebly trying to collect some remnants of DNA. She decided to call Martha again.

The phone rang for a short time, and an older woman picked it up. "Hello?" she asked politely, and Lightning sighed.

"Hello again, Martha. I just wanted to ask you about when Xehanort adopted Bertrand again."

"Well, shoot…"

"Did he touch anything on his last day here?"

"Xehanort, or Bertrand?"

"Bertrand."

The woman sighed again, and then thought about it. "He did cut his finger on the wall outside of the house. He got a splinter, and Xehanort got it out for him. It was a very sweet moment. We hoped for that for all of the children."

"M-hm…" Lightning said to herself, looking through the pictures again. Some of the conditions were truly appalling. For all of Martha's preaching about 'helping the children', she wondered why they were treated so badly.

"Where did he cut his finger again?" she asked, and there was another pause. "He cut it on the back of the building. He wandered off a little bit to look at the slugs."

Lightning poked her head around the back, scanning the wall to see if there was anything of use there. Using some of the equipment she had brought with her, she was able to see the remnants of a tiny bloodstain left on the wall. She tried scraping it off, and she put it into a small vile in order to test it. She also found bits of fingerprints.

Out of the corner of her eye, she had noticed a small group forming a little ways behind her. Some boys on skateboards had come over to check out what was going on.

When she turned around, they didn't avert their eyes; they just continued to look at her. She felt a little uneasy, but she decided to address them directly.

"Did you guys draw this penis?" she tried, pointing to the large drawing on the back of the building. This elicited a few snickers, and one of the boys pointed to another.

"Lucien did that one." The boy said loudly, grinning. Lucien stood in the background, tall and a little bit chuffed at his accomplishment. "What are you going to do about it?" the other boy asked, smirking, and Lightning pursed her lips.

"Do you know what this building used to be?" she asked, and the boys all looked at each other and rolled their eyes. "Yeah, it was a house for retards, right?" one of the boys asked another, who nodded. "It used to be a tourist attraction. Nobody cares now though." The boy added, in mock sadness. "Except us."

"And the penis." Lucien muttered, and there was another round of snickers.

"Alright, very funny." Lightning said flatly, going closer to them. "I was just wondering about the history of this place. There seem to be a lot of run down buildings around here. It looks like the slums in Midgar."

"That's my house, bitch!" one of the boys said loudly, and the rest roared with laughter.

"I am serious." Lightning snapped. The boys started to walk towards her, and she tried not to back away. She wanted to hold her ground. She reached in her pocket, tightening her grip around her gun. The 'leader' seemed to realize this, and stopped the rest of the boys from going over. They all looked at Lightning blankly. Then, the leader stepped forward, and held his hands up as if in surrender.

"Hey, why are you walking around with a gun?" he asked lowly. Lightning looked at each boy, and then sighed, and pulled out her badge. When the leader saw it, he smiled, in awe, and touched it, moving his fingers over its surface with care.

"Why are you out in the middle of nowhere?" the boy asked quietly, and Lightning shrugged. "I'm researching." The boy grinned again. "What do you want to know?" he asked, and Lightning shrugged. "Would you like to give me a history of your town?"

The boy nodded, bowed grandly, and then backed away a little bit so as to explain.

"This, my friend, is what was formerly known as the Land of Departure." He shouted, and the other boys gave a cheer. "The twin peaks are over there. But, they're private property now. People harvest the cherries. We used to be a center of learning, until the Eraqus shit. After that, the college was closed down. We made money off of college kids before. Our source of income went away. We became poor. The end." He added, taking another bow. All the boys cheered again, clapping their hands frantically, and he blew kisses to them all before turning back around with a nonchalant smile.

"Why is the sky so dark around here?" Lightning asked, and the boy's smile faded a little bit. The other boys went a little quiet, and Lucien stepped forward solemnly. "Yeah, Lucien experienced it head on. He should tell you." The leader mumbled, and stepped back.

Lucien cleared his throat, and pursed his lips a little bit, thinking where to start. "Maybe, like, eight years ago, a little while after the Eraqus crap, something came from over the mountains. It was like this creepy black mist. It messed with some people." Lucien said quietly, shuffling his feet. "People started doing crazy things. There were a lot of robberies and stuff, and murders. People got beat up for no reason. My dad… he went out one night and never came back. That happened with a bunch of people. They just kind of disappeared."

Lightning blinked at this, opening and closing her mouth, without knowing what to say.

"Everyone in the rest of the region thought we were nuts. They stopped trading with us. They shut us out, and took us off the map. Now it's like we never existed." Lucien hissed. "Yeah, and then even worse shit goes on in Radiant Garden, and they get a fucking medal for it!" another boy piped up, and the rest nodded in agreement.

Lightning had a deep foreboding feeling welling up inside her. "What happened in, um… Radiant Garden?" she asked, and the boys looked at each other, and then back to her.

"One day, the sky turned black. And then, these monsters were let out on the city from inside the castle. They attacked people, and turned them into monsters, too. And then they left, to cause trouble somewhere else." The leader related, trying to sound eerie. Lightning tried not to smile, amused by the absurdity of the whole thing.

"Well." She sighed, and bowed a little bit. "Thank you for giving me that information. It's very valuable to me."

The boys shrugged, and then began to ride off on their skateboards. The leader stayed on for a minute, and addressed Lightning seriously. "Are you a master?" he asked, and Lightning raised an eyebrow. "A what?"

"Did you take the Mark of Mastery Exam?" he asked quickly, and Lightning shrugged. "No. They've just started giving that exam though in my region. They started giving it after the war. I took something like it, though."

The boy nodded, and looked at Lightning with shining eyes. Then, he skated off quickly, catching up with the others.

Lightning looked at them as they went off, wondering how much of what they said had been the truth. She wondered what the mysterious 'black mist' that came down from the mountain really was. And she wondered who could tell her what really happened in Radiant Garden.

….

Demyx sat by the telephone, slumped over with his head resting on his arm. He had been up all night, worried about Kairi. Even though they'd broken up, she still sent him the occasional text, just to see how he was doing. Whenever he texted her she'd respond. He didn't know if that was the 'right way to act' after a break up, but he didn't care. He wished they were still together.

"Damn you, Axel." He growled to himself, and then wrung his fingers. He had still been in high school himself when Organization Thirteen first spotted him. He dropped out for them. What he remembered about Xehanort was that the old man scared the shit out of him. The day that everyone had joined up, or rather, after most of the people had joined up, he came in with this contract. And he told everyone that if they 'said a word, they'd be dead'.

Demyx had kept his promise for over three years. He wasn't about to break it. Not when the old man was alive, anyway. He'd always warned them that his 'shadow watched everything'.

What normal guy tells his employees that his 'shadow watches everything'?! It gave Demyx the creeps. He was torn between the idea that the shadow was a real _person, _or that the old man had weird magic powers that made him able to control his own shadow. Demyx didn't know which one was worse.

There was a sudden knock on the door, and Demyx jumped up, his heart beating fast. He sprinted to the front door, and opened it up, fully expecting Kairi to walk in, hug him, start crying, and beg to have sex with him. Instead, a big guy in a black suit stared back at him, showing him a badge. It was the Investigation Bureau.

"We need to search your house." The man growled, and Demyx blinked, before opening his door slowly to the men. He hoped against hope that he had stashed his pot well enough. Not even Kairi had known about that. He'd prefer that the police didn't know, either. And besides, it was only _half _his, Jack smoked the other half.

The men looked around the apartment, and one of them came out with the bag of pot. Demyx cursed in his head, but tried to look as innocent as possible. The men talked it over, and then came back with grave looks on their faces. "We're gonna need you to come down to the police station."

"Um, where did you get a warrant to look around my place?" Demyx barked, and the men whipped it out for him. "You have affiliations with Kairi?" They growled, and Demyx nodded. Then, his stomach turned, and he felt a shiver go through him.

"Is… is she okay?" he tried to say nonchalantly, but his voice came out in a quiver, and it broke in the middle. The police looked at him suspiciously, and then grabbed him by the shoulder, and brought him towards the car.

"You're under arrest for having illegal substances on the premises." The man said uncaringly, and Demyx wondered if they were just arresting him so that they could interrogate him.

"Is Kairi okay?" he said in a rising pitch, getting upset, and one of the men looked down at him, as if trying to figure him out. "You'll be given information at the station." They muttered.

"Where is the station? Is it here?" he asked, and the men looked ahead with steely glares. "It's in the Land of Departure."

Demyx felt his feet give out on him a little bit, but he tried to hide it. He didn't want to appear a weakling. But, was that what he was? A coward? Wasn't that why Kairi left him?

He cursed again under his breath. He should have said he'd testify for Axel. He should have done it.

….

Xion sat on the plane again, itching to get out and about. They were on the plane to Jazzo, where Namine's first orphanage was. Their stay in Purge had been luxurious, and she was a _little _bit sad about leaving the place. But, at the same time, she was glad to be going.

The plane touched the ground, and she and Rude got off the plane, hurrying to get a taxi. From there, they travelled straight to the place they were looking for. Xion's heart beat fast as they did, but it seemed to stop when they reached the place, and her mouth fell open in surprise.

The 'Orphanage' looked like a heaping of metal and wood, creating a huge, steely creature that seemed as if it was falling apart. A woman came out to greet them, and showed them inside. As Rude kept her occupied, Xion sneaked off to have a look around.

She tried not to cry when she saw the conditions the children were living in. Their 'beds' were little straw mattresses on the floor, some had blankets, and some didn't, and the toilets were little pots they kept near them. It was miles away from the luxury of Academia.

There was the sound of a child crying, and one of the employees was getting mad at them. Xion couldn't stand it anymore, so she scurried off back to Rude, who was still talking with the woman.

"I'm very sorry. She was rushed over to us in a big hurry from near Jidoor." The woman blubbered, and Xion felt deep irritation.

Rude nodded, sighing, and looked to Xion as if to say, 'where to next'? Xion said goodbye to the woman, and she and Rude trudged back to the taxi.

"Well, I guess it's off to Jidoor, next." Xion mumbled. "I wonder if they'll have her birth certificate, there."

Rude pursed his lips, and nodded slowly to himself. "What is it, Rude?" Xion asked, and Rude sighed. "Xion, just don't be disappointed if we can't find anything on her."

Xion gulped a little bit, and blew out a deep breath. She felt like it was her _duty _to find information about Namine. She _had _to. "I can't settle for that." She replied. Rude didn't say anything in return.

As they drove on, the air of the situation suddenly became more urgent, and Xion felt the need to lighten things up.

"So, Rude. You looking forward to going home after this? A nice bit of relaxation?" Xion tried, and Rude shrugged, looking blankly out the window. "Do you have a girl you're wanting to get back to?" Xion tried slyly, but Rude just shook his head blankly, with out even a glimmer of a blush on his cheeks. He just continued to stare ahead with a nonchalant gaze. "Do you not…_like _anyone?" Xion tried, and Rude opened his mouth, but then shut it again, looking out the window once more.

"Ah… so there is a special person…" Xion said slowly, and Rude rubbed his hands together nervously. "Who is it?" Xion gushed, and Rude shrugged. Xion didn't know if he was embarrassed, or upset. She decided to go with the former. "Come on, Rude! No one?"

Rude shook his head firmly, and Xion piped down, a little bit dejected from the disappointment. Rude felt like he'd let her down in a way, so he tried to think up a proper response to appease her.

"Well… there was one girl," he mumbled, this time blushing madly, and Xion grinned. "Who? Does she live nearby?"

Rude shrugged. "She used to."

"Who is she?"

"Her name is… Tifa." The name rolled off of his lips like honey, he said it carefully and caringly, and smiled a little bit after he did.

"That's a nice name." Xion murmured, then playfully nudged him on the shoulder. "So, do I hear wedding bells in the future?"

At this, the smile wiped off Rude's face, and he went back to the solemn stare that he had sported before. "Did something happen to her?" Xion asked nervously, and Rude shook his head. It was silent for a moment, and then Rude coughed a little bit, before continuing.

"She just never liked me back." He grumbled, and resituated himself uncomfortably. "I'm not her type anyway."

"Why don't you ask her, just in case?" Xion tried, but Rude chuckled. "I have."

Xion felt a little sorry for Rude. She had Roxas, but he didn't seem to have anyone.

They drove on until they reached Jidoor, and by then, it was dangerously close to sunset. The place was quaint, and Xion pointed to an old Opera House in the distance. It seemed very run down. They decided to go explore, walking through the old rooms, into the auditorium, and then back into the dressing rooms.

There were a few old posters for an opera, "Maria and Draco", stuffed behind a cabinet, but other than that, the place was pretty empty. Xion decided to pick one up, and she gasped when she looked at Maria. "Hey, Rude, come here." She barked, and he trudged over, craning his neck to look at the picture that she was holding. "Doesn't she look just like Namine?" Xion asked, and Rude shrugged. "I guess so." Then, he turned around and went towards the exit. "Let's get out of here." He muttered, and Xion rolled the poster up and tucked it under her arm.

They went by the census center, that was supposed to have all the information on current and former residents, but still, they could not find Namine's birth certificate. The receptionist apologized, and relayed to them that a lot of the files had been lost after the war.

As they went out of the office, Xion slumped down onto the front step into the building, and put her head in her hands. Rude waited patiently beside her, and then when she was finished sitting down, they both stood up.

"Where to next?" he asked, and Xion shrugged. "I don't know. This was all just a big waste of time."

She unfolded the poster one more time, and looked at it, sighing. Folding it back up, she put it under her arm again, and then decided to give it to Rude instead. "Can you put this in your coat? I don't want it to get damaged." She said, and Rude nodded.

As they walked down the road, Xion became aware that they were being followed. She was sure that Rude knew it too. At the same moment, they both decided to look behind them. A small, scrawny police man looked back at them with big eyes, and when he saw the poster in Rude's coat, he got all excited, and trotted over to them with a big grin on his face.

"You're under arrest for theft!" he hollered, and Rude gently pushed him back. The boy looked dazed for a moment, and then, as Rude tried to get his badge out to show the kid that he was part of the investigation bureau, the kid blew a large whistle. Within seconds, five more policemen tackled Rude, looking in his pockets. They confiscated his gun, badge, and the poster, and then they drove him and Xion off to the tiny police station.

It was a run down little place, like the rest of the town around it. There was a whole rigmarole when Rude had to get his fingerprints, and a mug shot (which the police did wrong), including a host of paperwork, before he was put into a cell. When he asked for his badge, the policeman looked a little worried.

"I don't really remember where I put it." He said, rummaging through the drawer that had the confiscated items in it. "You lost my badge?!" Rude growled, and the policeman gave him a slap on the face, for 'rudeness'. The badge, thankfully, was eventually found, and the policemen scrambled to remove Rude from his cell when they saw he was a member of the investigation bureau. They also lined up for autographs.

"Is there _anything _we can do for you, sir?" one of the men asked, and Rude decided to give the floor to Xion.

"We're looking for a birth certificate, for a girl named Namine." Xion asked. The men looked at her blankly, and she sighed, trying to recount the information that Pence gave her. "I was told that she was the daughter of an opera singer." She tried, and the men looked at each other. "How long ago was this?" they asked, and Xion shrugged. "I don't know I guess it would have been six plus years ago." The men nodded, and went over to another policeman to ask him about it. He came over, and sat down.

"You say this girl was the daughter of an opera singer?" he asked, and Xion nodded.

"Well, the big opera singer around here used to be Maria. She's on your poster." He added, pointing to the large sheet of paper. "She lost her money and fame years ago. There was a rumor that she'd had a child with Draco, her costar, but it was a secret heavily guarded. She paid heavily to guard it. It would have ruined her reputation." He explained. Xion listened with rapt attention.

"We do have a birth certificate on file, though, I think." He said, and he pointed for Xion to come over. There, he searched through files of papers, and pulled up a copy of a very worn out birth certificate. "Is this her?" he asked nonchalantly, and Xion skimmed through it.

It was as if the ground gave out from underneath her. She had to be steadied so that she wouldn't fall over. When she got herself back in order, she nodded, grinning from ear to ear.

"Yeah." She said in a shaky voice. "This is her."

Xion blinked in wonder, when she read through the piece of paper. Her father was Draco Barco- the man from the poster for the opera, Maria and Draco. And her mother was in fact, the famous Maria. Xion blinked back tears, and embraced Rude tightly.

"Thank you for everything." She whispered, and Rude patted her on the back awkwardly.

"What does it say?" he asked, and Xion looked down at the paper again. "It says that she's eighteen, and that she _has _been eighteen for three months."

"What does that mean?" Rude elaborated, and Xion looked up at him with a huge smile. "It means that we get to go home!"

….

The phone in Lightning's car rang as she made her way back towards the highway that would lead her to Midgar. Her eyebrows rose when she saw that it was Reno.

By some miracle, she had managed to get a fingerprint of Bertrand Decker from Martha. When all the children had first gone into the orphanage, they had their fingerprints taken. They'd still had Bertrand's on file. They also had information on his DNA.

"Hello." She said flatly when she'd picked the phone up, and then she listened for what came next.

"Lightning, where are you?" Reno slurred across the line, and Lightning rubbed her eyes. He sounded drunk out of his mind. "Where are you, Reno?" she asked coolly, and there was a gurgled laugh. "I'm taking a break." He barked. "Why aren't you with me?" he added, and Lightning decided that it was time to hang up the phone. "Goodbye, Reno." She muttered, but before she could put the phone down, Reno stopped her.

"I meant to ask, what are you doing?" he tried, as seriously as he could. Lightning sighed. "I am working, Reno, like you should be doing."

"It doesn't matter, I'm gonna be the customs man in a few weeks anyway."

"It's not final, is it?" Lightning asked, and Reno snorted. "It's off to Nibelhiem with me in a month."

Lightning felt angry. "Well, maybe if you were here with me instead of drinking to your damn heart's content, we might get work done." She snapped, and Reno moaned across the line, alarming her. "Are you okay?" she asked, and pulled the phone away from her ear at the sounds of Reno vomiting.

"I just threw up." Reno blubbered, and Lightning shut her eyes in frustration. "I know, Reno. I could hear you… unfortunately…"

"I'm coming down." Reno roared all of a sudden, hanging up. Lightning tried not to worry herself over that.

Lightning decided to drive on, and she pondered over Reno's situation for hours. She wanted to help him, but she didn't.

He was pathetic. That much was clear. But she couldn't understand why she felt so disappointed for him. Her eyes widened in horror, and she put the thought that had just entered her mind back out of her head. But it kept returning.

Did she… like him?

She shuddered to think that that was the case. She could do much better than Reno. The pitiful man obsessed with fame. The future customs officer.

"Dammit, Reno!" she growled. "Why'd you have to get yourself into this stupid mess? All that dumbass showing off." She muttered, and decided that she would inform Sora's father of her findings.

"Hello." he answered gravely, surprising Lightning.

"Has something happened, sir?" she asked slowly, and there was a sigh across the phone.

"Yes. A girl has been kidnapped. Rather, the mayor's daughter has been kidnapped. And my son has been severely beaten."

"Wow." Lightning muttered. Then, she sighed. "Well, I've been doing a little research of my own, and I found an interesting recurrence through all of our recent adventures."

"And what would that be?"

Lightning paused for a moment. Then, she barreled in. "When Reno and I went to Shinra to try and find information, we discovered a massive file burning operation- as you know. There was a man in a black suit walking down the halls, but he disappeared before I could pursue him. Then, Reno saw him in the crowd on the day that Hojo was shot. The man pointed his gun at me, so Reno went in front of me. To save my life." She added, trying to make Reno sound courageous as possible. "But, Hojo was shot. I have been researching, and I believe that the man's name is Bertrand Decker."

"Alright… how did you figure this out?"

"Bertrand Decker was about to be put in an orphanage for disabled children, when he was five. But, Master Xehanort adopted him. There's a news clipping about it, and I have witness testimony!"

"Right but… how could some disabled child transform into something like that?

"That's what I thought at first. But then, I started thinking. Master Xehanort knew President Shinra, who created a class of near super humans through the SOLDIER project, along with Hojo. Who's to say that Xehanort didn't do the same thing with Bertrand?"

"That's a stretch."

"But it's plausible!" Lightning cut in. "And, also, I was told about something happening in a 'Radiant Garden'. Do you know where I could get more information on that?"

There was a pause across the line, as if Sora's father didn't want to give out the information. Then, there was a sigh, and finally, a response. "Well, I suppose that you could go to Yen Sid." He said, giving her directions to the home of the man in question. Then, he mumbled a quiet goodbye, and a good luck.

The road to Yen Sid's house twisted and turned like a maze behind the homes of Twilight Town, and Lightning felt as if she had gotten lost on a number of occasions. But, finally, she found the ominous looking tower.

A chill went down her spine, and she finally felt as thought she was going to get some information. She trudged up to the front door, knocked on it, and listened in awe as the echoes boomed up through the building. In a few more seconds, an older woman dressed in pink answered the door.

"How may I help you, dear?" she asked, and Lightning held out her investigation bureau badge.

"I am a friend of Sora's father." She started, putting her badge away. "I need some information in regards to a case we are working on. If Mr. Yen Sid could just help us clear up a few things- it could mean the end of a chunk of the organized crime in the Planet."

Flora chuckled. "What an advertisement." She mumbled under her breath, and then put on a big smile for Lightning. "Please come in, and I'll get Master Yen Sid." She gushed. Lightning went over that in her mind: not _Mr. _Yen Sid, but _Master _Yen Sid.

Flora led her upstairs, and into an office, where a very, very old man was bent over his desk, examining a piece of paper. He didn't look up as Flora introduced Lightning to him, just waved for Flora to go, and for Lightning to sit down. His behavior irked Lightning a little bit, but then, he _was _an old man, and he _did _seem to be very prestigious, with the title of Master. There was a 5 minute long silence, and then Yen Sid finally chose to speak.

"Flora tells me that you are an investigation bureau crony, come to hound me for information about a past I can hardly remember." He growled, and Lightning tried not to exhale too loudly.

"I'm actually not part of the investigation bureau at all. I'm from Bodhum, in Cocoon. I was sent over here to help with the investigation, because of its level of difficulty."

"Are you good?" Yen Sid cut in, and Lightning grinned a tiny bit. "Well, I suppose I'd _have _to be if they decided to send me over here-"

"I didn't ask _them _if you were good; I asked you if you were good." Yen Sid said gently, and Lightning looked at him blankly for a moment, he was still bent over his piece of paper diligently.

"Well" She tried again, "Yes sir, I think that I am good."

Yen Sid grunted. Then, he pointed towards his bookshelf, rummaging through his desk and taking out a key. "Give me the green journal." He mumbled, and Lightning nodded, finding it and bringing it to him.

He unlocked it, and closed his eyes, sitting back. "Turn to page five." He said mysteriously, and Lightning nodded, turning to page five. "Read it." Yen Sid muttered.

"But sir-" Lightning tried to say, but Yen Sid cut her off, and indicated for her to read. She shrugged, and began.

"I laid eyes on the most beautiful bath robe on display in a shop window in the Land of Departure today after my visit with Eraqus. When I entered the store, though, asking for the price of the item, I was informed that it was 12000 munny. Disgraceful!"

Yen Sid chuckled at this, and Lightning looked up to see if he was crazy. "Read the next part." He said sternly, and Lightning continued. "If barter were still being used today, disgustingly priced items like this would cost a man his arm! And perhaps a couple of toes…"

Yen Sid signaled for Lightning to stop, and then leaned forward, looking at her closely. "What did that passage tell you?"

"That… people take advantage of each other!" Lightning tried. "And that it is one's duty to help others so that they cannot be taken advantage of!" She felt like she was in third grade again, trying to impress the teacher.

"You are reading much to much into this." Yen Sid grumbled. "It says what it says and it means what it means. That town transformed from a noble center of learning to a noble center of moneybags! Omitting, of course, the nobility…" He went in to a slight reverie for a moment, but then snapped out of it, growling a little bit. "The town was becoming aloof and touristy. Eraqus was a man of simple wants. He desired for the world to be a better place- at all costs. That is what ruined him."

Lightning listened with rapt attention, but Yen Sid stopped short, and there was another painfully long pause while he looked out the window. "How can I trust you?" he finally rumbled, and Lightning sighed, rubbing her temple. "I don't know, sir. But I wish you would."

"What about your war, what did it do to you?" Yen Sid asked. "Tell me about it. Tell me everything."

Lightning had shut that part of her life away, but it tugged at her now. She wanted to be able to get the information for the case- but she didn't want to be vulnerable, for anyone, under any circumstances.

"Well…" she began, coughing a little bit, "My father died when I was very young; I can hardly remember his face. And my mother died when I was fifteen. I had to look after my sister and become independent. In the meantime, the war started. I was separated from my sister. But, something has changed inside me. I've watched people die…" she said a little shakily, trying to pull herself together. "I ran away." She finally said, and Yen Sid looked at her closely.

"Ran away from what?"

Lightning shrugged. "I needed time to think… and I thought I could find a way to help... it doesn't matter now."

Yen Sid nodded, and stroked his beard knowingly, looking off into the distance. Lightning waited patiently for him to stop, and when he did, he sighed, and stood up, unlocking a compartment in his desk, and sliding out an old, battered up little notebook. It looked as if it was a mixture of several notebooks, with portions of others glued inside of it, along with newspaper clippings, and little scribbles.

"What is this?" Lightning asked flatly, and Yen Sid pointed towards the book with slight impatience.

"I want you to read it out loud. Form your own picture of the events."

Lightning's heart began to beat, and she nodded, going to the first page. "And, you want me to read the whole thing?" she asked again, for clarification, and Yen Sid nodded. "The whole thing."

She blinked, and then shrugged, going up to where the words began. Then, she began to read.


	16. The Fall of the Land of Departure

**This is a flashback chapter, it starts when Aqua, Terra, and Ventus are in school. As usual, I switched up some of the events to suit the story, but I think I stayed pretty true to it all in all. *SPOILERS!* Please enjoy. Sorry for the long wait, I will be working on the next chapter, another flashback. **

Aqua tried to sneak back into her dorm bedroom undetected, but her dorm mate, Cassandra, caught her.

"Were you out with those boys again, Aqua?" the girl said distastefully, and Aqua rolled her eyes. "They're my friends, Cass."

"I know. I was just joking. Why don't you hang out with the girls more often? I mean, only if you want to of course…" she added, remembering that Aqua was a senior, one year ahead of her.

"I'm just fine." Aqua replied, ending it. There was silence for a moment, and then Aqua shuffled her feet, suddenly self-conscious. "Hey, Cassandra?" she asked nervously, and the girl looked at her, waiting.

"What if I don't pass the Mark of Mastery Exam?" Aqua inquired, and was surprised when she heard Cassandra snort. "What's so funny?" she said sternly, trying to hide the fact that she was hurt. "The same as what everyone else before you has done; something else. Hardly anyone passes the Mark of Mastery Exam. Just because we're the 'key blade's chosen ones' doesn't mean we get to be Masters… There are only like, 5 active ones right now… I guess that would be like a… .0001 passing rate, or something like that…" she chuckled. "I don't even _want _to be a 'key blade' master. It'd look _really _good on my resume, though…" She added slyly, and Aqua suddenly hated her.

"Goodnight." She said flatly, and exited the room. "Goodnight. Don't sneak off to Terra's room in the middle of the night." Cassandra called after her, and Aqua clenched her hands into fists.

She went back outside, taking in the night air. It had been so stuffy in the dorms. Aqua felt the wind blow on her flushed cheeks, and she tried to calm her pounding heart. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her back, and she whizzed around, ready to strike.

Her mouth nearly dropped to the floor when she saw that it was Xemnas.

"Xemnas!" she beamed, hugging the man tightly.

"Whoa, tiger! What's gotten into you?" Xemnas asked gently, and Aqua shrugged. "I just haven't seen you in so long. How is your first year out of college?"

"Almost over, thankfully. But, I still haven't gotten a job."

"You'll get one soon, Xemnas. You're so _smart." _Aqua said sadly, and Xemnas lifted up her chin. "What's wrong?"

"I…" she started, and then her resolve broke, and she opened up. "I'm just afraid that I'm not good enough. I'm afraid I won't be able to pass the Mark of Mastery Exam." She mumbled, and Xemnas looked at her seriously.

"You'll never gain the Mark of a Master with that attitude. Where's the Aqua I knew? Come on…" he added, nudging Aqua playfully. She blushed, and smiled a little bit. "I know that you'll pass, Aqua. I have faith in you." He whispered, and smiled at her.

Xemnas hesitated for a moment, before kissing Aqua on the cheek. Then, he got up quickly, and waved goodbye. "See you around." He mumbled, worried that he'd done the wrong thing. Aqua felt her cheek in wonder, waving absentmindedly back at him. "Bye, Xemnas." She whispered, and then went back to her dorm room.

That night, she was able to sleep soundly.

…

Terra and Aqua waited patiently in the middle of the throne room, their hearts beating like hammers.

Today was the day that they had been waiting for their whole life.

"Are you ready, Aqua?" Terra asked with excitement, and Aqua nodded. "Always."

Eraqus and Xehanort walked into the throne room, and took their seats. Ventus hurried in behind them, and stood to the side, smiling at Terra and Aqua.

Eraqus addressed the students.

"Today you will be examined for the Mark of Mastery." He said seriously, and Terra and Aqua stood up a little bit straighter. "Not one but two of the Keyblade's chosen stand here as candidates- but this is neither a competition nor a battle for supremacy. Not a test of wills- but a test of heart. Both of you may prevail, or neither. But I am sure our guest, Master Xehanort" Eraqus added, indicating Xehanort, who nodded to both of the students, "did not travel all this way to see our youngest prospects in years fall short of the mark. I trust you are ready." He added, and Terra and Aqua nodded in excitement.

"Yes!"

"Then let the examination begin!" He said with a smile, and beckoned for the testers to come forward. Three men and two women in white robes stepped forward, spreading out in a line with their hands behind their backs. Terra and Aqua looked over at each other in slight fear, blowing out deep, nervous breaths. Xehanort smiled slyly, and flexed his hands, putting one of them up to cover his mouth. Eraqus kept his eyes on the battle at hand.

But, something was strange about the testers. Their eyes were dark, and stared ahead. It was as if they were off in a different world. They snapped to attention, and then lunged at Terra and Aqua, who began to pick them off easily, taking down two at the same time.

Then, suddenly, one of them looked over at Ventus. Aqua and Terra both raised their eyebrows in curiosity, looking over at Eraqus to see if this had been a planned part of the test. Eraqus looked on in wonder.

"Ven!" Terra and Aqua both shouted, and the boy's attention flew over to the tester coming towards him. Ventus crouched down, ready, and took the tester out with a single blow, looking over at Terra and Aqua sternly. "Don't worry about me!" he shouted. "You two focus on the exam!"

"But Ven, you're in danger here!" Aqua shouted back at him. "Go wait in your room!"

"No way!" he responded. "I've been looking forward to this- seeing you two become masters. I'm not gonna miss it now!" He added passionately, and Aqua's heart went out to the boy. He was so young. "He can take care of himself." Terra reassured Aqua. "He's been out there training just as hard as us."

"Yeah!" Ventus piped up enthusiastically, smiling big at Terra, who nodded at him. "Stay sharp, Ven." Aqua warned, and the boy nodded quickly, grinning again.

Then, he ran over to help his friends, and Eraqus sat back, watching to see how Terra and Aqua handled the situation.

They worked well as a team, taking down the testers one by one.

As Terra fought off one the testers, he did not notice another one sneaking up behind him. As he turned around, they pulled out their dulled blade, and sliced at him quickly. He pulled away, but the blade scratched him, and he felt his arm burning slightly. "Damn." He said to himself. There was a miniscule amount of blood drawn. He didn't blame the tester- Terra suspected that he probably hadn't dodged correctly. But he couldn't shake the feeling that something was coursing through him, making him angry.

The fighting went on for about twenty minutes, and as the time passed, the tester's movements became less jagged and manic, and they went after Ven less and less, until they were purely fighting Aqua and Terra. Eraqus sat by and watched with curiosity, watching closely to see if any of the testers went out of line again. He couldn't understand why they had gone completely off their agenda, and attacked Ven. It troubled him.

After twenty minutes had passed, Eraqus dismissed the testers, and stood up. "That was unexpected." He apologized shortly. "But one must keep a still heart even in the most trying of circumstances. It was an excellent test. One I chose to unfold. Which brings us to your next trial. Now, Terra and Aqua, you will face each other in combat." He said suddenly, and the two looked at each other in surprise, before nodding. Then, they parted each others side, and walked away a reasonable distance, before turning around to face each other, awaiting further instructions.

"Remember, there are no winners- only truths. For when equal powers clash, their nature is revealed."

There was a pause, and the air became heavy with anticipation, as Terra and Aqua tried not to meet eyes.

Xehanort looked at Terra closely, with a sly sneer, and Eraqus opened his mouth to speak.

"Begin." He said simply, and the two hopefuls lunged at one another with a stunning ferocity. It was easy to see that they possessed skill, and will power. But Eraqus was looking for something else…

At one point, Aqua nearly clocked Terra in the jaw with her blade, but he dodged quickly. He could feel the anger bubbling up inside of him, and as she charged at him, he crouched down, preparing to go into the ready position for an illegal move that he had learned, but had been told never to use.

He could feel a want to _hurt _Aqua suddenly seep through him, and he grinned maliciously and angrily at her. "Go on. I dare you. Come at me." He snarled under his breath, and his muscles went into motion. But, before he could get fully into position, he realized what he was doing, and forced his feelings back, standing back up straight. Xehanort smiled at this, looking over at Eraqus to see if he had noticed.

Five minutes later, Eraqus stopped the fighting, and beckoned for Terra and Aqua to leave while the two decided on who would pass, and who wouldn't.

As soon as Terra, Aqua, and Ven had left, Eraqus looked over at Xehanort with masked worry. "Aqua did outstanding." He said simply, and Xehanort nodded. "As we expected."

"Terra, on the other hand…" Xehanort added, but Eraqus looked away. "I understand that he was angry. His demeanor seemed strange… I fear that something was amiss…"

"You can't excuse a student's bad behavior for 'something being amiss', Eraqus. I know he is one of your star pupils, but you cannot make excuses for the boy. His heart is clouded with darkness." Xehanort continued, and Eraqus sighed, nodding. "We shall call them back in."

The three students came back in, Ventus smiling at his friends. Terra and Aqua stood side-by-side, nervous. Eraqus stood up slowly. "We have deliberated and reached a decision. Terra, Aqua, you both performed commendably. However, only Aqua has shown the Mark of Mastery." Eraqus said quickly, and the verdict hit Terra like a ton of bricks. "Terra, you failed to keep the darkness within you sufficiently in check. But there is always next time. That is all." He finished, turning to Aqua. "Aqua, as our newest Keyblade Master, you are entitled to certain knowledge. Please wait here for further instruction." Eraqus addressed Xehanort again, and Aqua took the chance to talk to Terra.

"Hey…" she started, not knowing exactly what the right thing to do was. The sound of Ventus' padding feet was heard as he ran over to his friend. "Terra, I'm sorry." He gulped, looking up at the young man with big eyes.

"The darkness…" Terra whispered. "Where did it come from?"

Eraqus and Xehanort filed out of the throne room, and Xehanort looked back at Terra with curiosity.

…..

The sky was bright and blue; there was hardly a cloud in sight. Terra sat on the steps at the entrance of the college, stock straight, and thinking. In the distance, he could barely make out the forms of a few kids trudging up the mountains.

"There's darkness within me," he whispered to himself, trying to come to terms with his failure. "So what does that matter? I know I'm strong enough to hold it back!"

"Yes." A gravely voice hissed behind him, and Terra whipped around to see who was there. Master Xehanort stood on the top step of the entrance, looking down on him coolly. "You are indeed strong." He said slowly. "The darkness is nothing to fear."

"Master Xehanort." Terra acknowledged in a defeated way, not wanting to speak with one of the men who had kept the mark of mastery from him.

"And yet… how frustrating it is that Eraqus refutes its power." Xehanort added, shocking Terra. "Why, you could train with him forever, and still… you'd never be a Master in his eyes." The old man added in a disappointed way. Eraqus had always said that Terra was one of his best students, even with all the years that the academy had been open. Could it have been that_ Xehanort_ fought for Terra to pass, but Eraqus refused?

"But why?" Terra snapped, confused and angry. "Help me understand, Master Xehanort! What is it that I failed to learn?"

As Master Xehanort passed Terra, a smile crept onto his face. "You are fine as you are."

Terra couldn't understand. If he was fine, why had he failed?

"Darkness cannot be destroyed. It can only be channeled." Xehanort growled, looking back at Terra slyly. Terra let that thought seep through him, and he nodded, thinking of the logic in it. "Yes. Thank you, Master." Terra responded.

Suddenly, bells began to wring through the air, and Terra looked back at the academy. Class didn't start for another hour. So why were the bells ringing?

Then Terra gasped, wondering if Eraqus wanted him back for something. Had something gone wrong?

As he made his way through the halls of the school, he noticed how the bells echoes boomed throughout the building. Everyone would be able to hear it. Soon, he was on his way to the throne room. He could hear muffled voices from down the hall, where he knew Eraqus would be telling Aqua of her new duties as a 'master'. He tried not to get himself worked up, but he couldn't stop thinking about what Xehanort had told him.

Just as Terra entered the throne room, Eraqus turned from Aqua, and went to the small communication booth behind the throne chairs. It had a small screen on it, and Eraqus pressed the 'receive' button. Yen Sid's picture came up, and he listened seriously as the old master spoke to him in an urgent tone.

"What happened?" Terra asked as he made his way to Aqua's side. She looked confused herself. "I don't know." She said quietly, looking around for Ventus. She became worried when he didn't show up. "Why isn't Ven here?" she added suddenly. She thought of the way that the testers had attacked Ven when he hadn't even been involved in the Mark of Mastery exam, and for some reason, she suddenly felt the need to have Ven in her sight, to know that he was alright. The day had been so strange already.

"Very well, then. I will send my pupils to investigate." Eraqus murmured into the speaker of the communicator. "Yes. I understand. Farewell." Eraqus lingered for a moment. Then, he turned back to his students, prompting them to stand at attention.

"That was my dear old friend, Yen Sid. As you know, he is a Master no more. But he still keeps a close eye on the tides of light and dark."

Terra tried not to shake his head on this. Why was Eraqus so obsessed with 'light and dark'? It wasn't like 'darkness' was an actual enemy!

"His council serves as signposts on the road we wielders of the keyblade must walk." He said quietly, and then stood up straighter, with a stern look on his face. "All the more reason, then for concern- for he tells me the princesses of heart are in danger. Not only from the forces of darkness, as you may assume, but also from a new threat. One that feeds on negativity." He added. "Fledgling emotions that have taken monster form within their hosts. Yen Sid calls them the 'unversed'. As wielders of the keyblade, you are tasked with striking down any who would upset the balance of light and darkness. The Unversed are no exception. I tried to pass this news onto Master Xehanort, but my repeated attempts to reach him have failed. I doubt there is any connection, and yet… this all troubles me."

There was a break in the explanation, and Eraqus suddenly wondered to himself, if there was a connection. Soon, though, he brushed it off, turning back to his students, who were waiting patiently for him to continue speaking. "So here we are. I need you two to get this situation under control. Eliminate the Unversed, and find Master Xehanort. I will give you both certificates allowing you to go into situations that you would otherwise, so young as you are, be shut out of. The darkness looms closer within these spaces, but your armor will protect you." He added, pointing to his heart, and then his head. "Lastly remember that order must be kept. You cannot tell anyone what is going on. Now, go and fulfill your duty."

"Yes master!" Terra and Aqua said with enthusiasm, and Terra went out of the throne room immediately. Aqua couldn't tell if he was just really excited, or if there was something troubling him. As he began to leave, Eraqus looked back at him with worry. "Terra." He called suddenly, and the boy turned around with a nonchalant gaze. "Consider this an opportunity. A second chance for you to change my mind."

"What?" Terra asked incredulously, and Eraqus nodded, and stepped towards the young man. "You must know, I care for you like my own son. "If I could have my way, I would name you Master in a second."

Something struck Terra at this comment, and he didn't know what to think. What Master Eraqus said seemed so genuine. But, Master Xehanort had told him differently. Who could he trust?

"But how can I when you are so obsessed with power? Terra" he snapped, and the boy looked up at him blankly. "You mustn't be afraid of losing. Fear leads to obsession with power, and obsession beckons the darkness. You must never forget."

"Thank you, Master." Terra mumbled, and then looked up with determination. "I swear, I will not fail you again!" He said simply, and then walked away. Aqua looked at him with conflicted emotions. Had he listened to any of what Master Eraqus told him? But it didn't concern her. "Master, I'd best be on my way." She addressed him, wondering if he had anything else to say to her. Eraqus didn't say anything, so she took that as her cue to leave, and began to turn around, and walk away.

There was a flash of blond hair down at the end of the hall, and Eraqus noticed that it was Ventus, running out after Terra. Something inside him stirred, and he felt the need to address Aqua once more. "Wait, Aqua." He called, and she turned back around in curiosity.

"Before you depart, I have one other… well, call it a request, of the utmost priority."

"Yes?" Aqua asked gently. Eraqus hesitated again. "I told Terra this could be his second chance to show the Mark of Mastery- and I meant it. However, that flicker of darkness he displayed during the examination… I can sense it runs very deep. If he were to-" Eraqus hesitated again. He didn't want Aqua to worry. He just wanted her to keep on her guard.

"If those powers were to prove too much for him to handle… I want you to bring him back to me at once."

Aqua looked down sadly at this, worrying for Terra. In that moment, Eraqus saw that he could not hide what he was really thinking from her. "It's for his own good. I fear that Terra will become lost because of this setback. I could not bear to lose any of you to the darkness."

Aqua clenched her fists in anxiety for a moment, and then nodded. "Of course." She said quickly. "I would never let that happen. I promise you- I will bring Terra back." Then, she looked up at Master Eraqus bravely. "Only this time, you'll see he has what it takes to be a Master."

Suddenly, Aqua felt consumed by a foreboding sadness that she could not comprehend. She turned to the rose window, looking on in wonder at how the light streamed through it, casting shadows around the room. "He's not as weak as you think."

Eraqus was not surprised at this. Aqua probably thought that he was cruel, keeping Terra from something that he had worked so hard for. But Eraqus couldn't take chances. Yen Sid had told Eraqus before that he had a foreboding feeling that something terrible was about to happen.

Yen Sid had never been wrong before. He had predicted correctly the day of the end of the Wutai War. Shinra won, as was expected, but the effects that the end of the war had on the region had been shocking.

The Master's Academies, as Master Feiyan had assumed would happen, were all closed down, and Materia was outlawed, along with any of the teachings pertaining to the Mark of Mastery. The Wutai War had cost countless lives- including Master Feiyan's. Eraqus had asked the board to create a safe haven for students of the Wutai master academies, but the idea had been rejected. Because of that, hundreds were sent to jail, or in extreme cases, killed. Old friends, the people that Eraqus had studied with, were now gone.

What was something more terrible that could happen?

Outside, Ventus ran as quickly as he could towards his friend, Terra, who strode forth with a perturbed gate. "Terra!" he called desperately, and the dark haired boy turned around in wonder.

Ventus stopped in front of him, struggling to say something while catching his breath, but Terra stopped him. "It's okay." He said quietly, patting Ventus on the head. He looked down at the boy seriously for a second, and noticed that he looked close to tears. Terra felt a smile creep onto his face, and he let it come.

He turned his head to look at the button on his shoulder. It was glowing strangely, and Terra felt excitement course through him. He pressed it, and it beeped for a second, before he heard a loud revving noise, and a motorcycle sped out in front of him.

Terra had only used the summon button a few times, but Ventus looked at Terra in awe, as he hopped onto the sleek motorcycle, and rode off. The smile had been Terra's goodbye, but Ventus couldn't take that.

He'd seen Terra and Aqua use these devices to summon their vehicles multiple times, and when he noticed a few extras in the storeroom, he took one just in case he would need it.

He had to follow Terra. He had to tell him to be careful, get him to come back safely. He had to tell his friend what the strange boy in black had told him.

…

Ventus sat in his room, looking at the wooden blade that Terra had given him ages ago. He couldn't believe that Terra hadn't passed the Mark of Mastery Exam. It hurt him to think about it.

Suddenly, bells began to toll, and Ventus jumped up, looking around in slight alarm. The bells never rang at this time.

He sprung up, and went towards the door, hesitating suddenly. He thought he saw a shadow stir out of the corner of his eye.

"Better hurry, Ventus." A voice called from behind him, and Ventus whipped around to see who was speaking. There, leaning on an old box that Ventus stacked his books on top of, was the covered silhouette of a being, dressed all in black. He had a strange mask over his head, like that of a motorcyclist, but the whole top of it was a black visor. Ventus wondered what was underneath it. "Who are you?!" Ventus barked, but the figure ignored him, continuing what he was saying before.

"Or you'll never see Terra again."

Ventus furrowed his eyebrows, tightening his grip around the little wooden blade he was holding. He didn't know what else to do. "What?" he blubbered. "Get real! I can see Terra anytime I want!"

The shadowy figure contrasted starkly with Ventus' bright room, and it stood in silence for a moment, before continuing.

"Like right now?" he finally asked, not expecting Ventus to answer. "He's leaving you behind. And by the time you catch up…" he continued, turning his head slowly to face Ventus. Even though the mask covered the figures face, Ventus could still feel its eyes boring into him.

"He'll be a different person." The figure finished. A chill went down Ventus' spine.

"Look- whoever you are. You don't know the first thing about Terra!" Ventus snapped, trying to hide his fear. "Me and him will always be a team! You trying to pick a fight or what?" he finished, going down into a crouch, with his little wooden blade displayed in front of his face. The figure took one look at him, and then turned, and walked to the other side of the room, towards Ventus' circular sea lamp. "Oh, grow up." It hissed as it crossed the room. "Is that what you call friendship?"

"You'll never know the truth, unless you go out and look for it yourself." The figure continued nonchalantly. Then, it turned again. "Come on. What could you possibly know when you're stuck here, looking at nothing but what's in your tiny world?"

It did not linger, just strode past Ventus. The boy could feel a strange, dark energy emitting from it, and it scared him. When he looked out into the hall to see if it was still there, the figure had gone.

Ventus remembered when Terra had given him the little wooden blade. He had been practicing hard, but was doing pretty badly. Terra had let him have the blade to make him feel better. He couldn't let Terra get away without talking to him.

…

Ventus slammed his hand down on the device fastened to his shoulder, and listened as the sound of a motor revving up started. It came closer and closer, until a motorcycle stood in front of him, shiny and waiting. His heart pounded as he got onto it, and turned it on. He had driven it around a little bit with Terra, so he knew what to do. He took a deep breath, and rode off, letting the tracking device on the motorcycle latch onto Terra.

As he got out past the twin peaks, Aqua charged towards where he had been before. "Wait, Ven!" she called in vain, but soon the boy disappeared from sight. Eraqus ran up beside Aqua, shaking his head in deep frustration.

"No, he mustn't!" he growled, and Aqua turned towards him in fear. Then, he turned to Aqua sternly. "You have to bring him back!"

"Don't worry, Master." Aqua replied coolly. Then, she summoned her own motorcycle, and whizzed off after them.

…

Eraqus sat at his desk, pondering things. Yen Sid had informed him of a new threat on the horizon- the 'unversed', as it had been aptly named. Neither Eraqus nor Yen Sid knew exactly what it was. It was like a disease. People who were affected had sudden, negative emotional outbursts, rage and despair, along with a host of other dark feelings that resided in the heart.

The distressing thing about it was that they were cropping up in multiple places in multiple regions. The threat was tangible enough that it had been discussed in multiple board meetings. Thankfully, the citizens of the cities did not know of the problem. Some of the board members were even quick to scoff at the idea of an emotional crisis, as they called it. But, as the numbers of the people affected by the unversed rose, the importance of the issue became all the more apparent. Eraqus had of course taken into account the fact that Xehanort had not attended the last few meetings. Everyone had been told that he was off on business in Palumpolum, and perhaps he was. But Eraqus couldn't be too sure. Ansem had been very quick to comment on the fact after the latest meeting.

"It is strange with the epidemic going around, and old Xehanort not in sight. You'd think he'd have something good to say about it." Ansem had growled, and Eraqus chuckled. "What are you implying, Ansem?"

"I am implying that I think he has something to do with it!" Ansem hissed, and Eraqus couldn't help but laugh. "I think that you may have caught the epidemic- you're exhibiting intense and frightening rage!"

"Oh, I've never liked that decrepit old dog." Ansem sneered confidently, looking at Eraqus with a grin. Eraqus shook his head. "You would be wise to give more respect to your superiors, Ansem."

"We're all in this together, aren't we?" Ansem shot back, looking away darkly. "Well, except for him and his cronies." He growled. Eraqus looked at him sternly. "Why would you say something like that, Ansem? Just because he thinks differently than you…"

"I've seen the way Yen Sid looks at him! Even _he _doesn't trust him!"

Eraqus opened and then closed his mouth, increasingly perturbed. Xehanort had always had different views than the other board members, but he had never acted in a contrary way to the board. Well, except for that one, terrible day that Eraqus tried in vain to force out of his mind on multiple occasions. The memory had seemed to plague him for the last few days.

"Perhaps, when he returns, we shall talk." Eraqus said weakly. "After all, we are…were… friends…"

Ansem looked at him strangely, and then chuckled. "I find it curious that two people as different as you could carry such a friendship. Good luck with your 'talk'!" he added, and walked off, leaving Eraqus alone to ponder things.

Eraqus gently moved his hands over the scars on his face. They had been a source of deep frustration to him lately. He remembered all too well, how his 'friend', had given them to him…

…

Eraqus remembered the surprise that held him motionless, when he came up to his office, to find an old friend of his, Master Feiyan, waiting patiently in a chair in front of his desk, reading a book. She was originally from the Land of Dragons, but she lived in Wutai, teaching children at a Master's Academy there.

The older woman looked up sternly, but a smile crept onto her face, as she looked Master Eraqus up and down. "My, my!" she said happily, and put her book down on the chair behind her. Then, she stood up, and opened her arms welcomingly. The two embraced amicably, and Eraqus beamed at her. "Old friend, what brings you here?"

A shadow passed over Master Feiyan's complexion, and she turned away, looking out the window solemnly. "Eraqus" she began, sighing and closing her eyes. "I fear that Shinra is winning the war."

Eraqus frowned. "Is it over?"

"No, it's not over yet." Feiyan said sternly, but then she softened. "But I would say that we are getting very close to the climax of this conflict."

"Kisaragi is still holding out though, isn't he?"

"Kisaragi is a strange man." Feiyan replied. "He talks well. But I don't know how he plans to act. And that, is the most important thing."

Eraqus' heart fell. But, he felt the need to give Master Feiyan some hope. "Don't give up now, Master Feiyan. The tides might still turn in your direction."

"I am just afraid for our society. I am afraid that he will roll over on his stomach and give Shinra whatever they want. Your friend, Xehanort, has begun to fancy himself a bit of an ambassador for Shinra. He knows Kisaragi well, and the Wutai army fears that he has been convincing Kisaragi to give up."

Eraqus couldn't help but chuckle at this. He could not believe Xehanort responsible of something so appalling as that. "Why would he do something like that?"

"He has raved about Shinra for years. He is a good friend of the President." Feiyan said bitterly. "It's no surprise. I just hope that Kisaragi doesn't roll over, and outlaw Materia."

Eraqus furrowed his eyebrows. "What would that entail?"

Feiyan sighed, and shrugged. "Materia is the knowledge and power of the ancients- our spiritual connection to them. It is also crucial to many fighting styles in the region. Many of those fighting styles, and the institutions of chivalry, bravery, and self sacrifice, are inherent in our Masters Academies." She mumbled.

"That doesn't mean… you mean to say that Shinra would outlaw the _Master's Academies?!" _Eraqus said in bewilderment, and Feiyan nodded. "A lot of students, and former students are fighting against Shinra in the war. The propaganda President Shinra is putting out in the rest of the region is disgusting." She added. "The posters portray us as savages, "threatening the piece of the rest of the Planet"" she chuckled bitterly.

"What can I do to help?" Eraqus asked, and Feiyan shook her head. "Nothing. You cannot get roped into this. Your region is experiencing its own problems. But, all I can ask," she started, trying to find the right words to continue. She looked up at Eraqus with clear eyes. "If any of my students should come here, needing a safe haven, would you take them into your Academy's care?" she asked, and Eraqus nodded. "Would they not be welcome in Wutai anymore?" he questioned, and Feiyan shook her head. "Shinra would make sure we all paid for what we did."

The air that hung around the office was heavy and sad, and the two averted their eyes from one another, not knowing what to say. "I may not see you again." Feiyan mumbled, and Eraqus hugged her tightly. "I will miss you. Until we meet again." He added gently, and Feiyan chuckled, nodding.

Then, they separated, and Feiyan waved goodbye. "Thank you. I just came to speak with you regarding that." She said, and exited his office. Eraqus' heart fell as he watched her leave. But, Master Feiyan was a very strong person. Eraqus knew that she would be fine.

He couldn't believe Xehanort would have been involved in the Wutai War. Everyone in the board had given an oath, that they would not under any circumstances become involved in the war. Yet, Xehanort appeared to have broken that promise. He had been acting very strangely, lately.

Eraqus had a sudden urge to speak with Xehanort, and he travelled through the halls, and towards the throne room, where he believed that he would find his friend.

Indeed, Xehanort was standing, staring at the rose window. "Hello, Eraqus." He said in the same gravelly voice that he had possessed for so long.

"Xehanort." Eraqus replied simply and familiarly. The old man did not turn around. "Have you heard about the developments in Wutai?"

Xehanort nodded. "It is amazing how opposed they are to change."

Eraqus gritted his teeth. "They are fighting against coercion, Xehanort. You and I know well the feeling of being trapped, isolated, powerless."

Xehanort chuckled. "Well said, friend."

There was silence for a moment. Eraqus decided to be up front with Xehanort. "I was informed that you were discussing the conclusion of the Wutai War with Godo Kisaragi." Eraqus said simply, and Xehanort snorted. "Was I? I did not know that…"

"I do not want lies, friend. I need the truth. Please, put this worried mind to rest."

Xehanort smiled at Eraqus, and then shrugged. "I am a friend of Kisaragi. He asked my opinion on the war, and I spoke of my immense respect for Shinra, its president, and its work. He may or may not have taken it to heart. I don't see that as breaking the pact that the board members were given, Eraqus. I saw it as discussing an issue with a friend."

"It wasn't right for you to advertise Shinra, Xehanort. The Wutai army isn't just fighting for glory. They are fighting to protect their tradition, the ways of old!"

"Says the man who challenged the authority of old in pursuit of an academy for 'masters'." Xehanort chuckled. "If I remember correctly, you fought for it, too, Xehanort." Eraqus growled. Xehanort grinned, walking closer to Eraqus. "You are absolutely correct, old friend." He rumbled.

"I believe that Shinra is a force of change like we once were. They fight for change, as we did, correct?" Xehanort explained, but Eraqus looked on sternly, unperturbed. "That kind of change benefits no one, Xehanort. It only hurts."

Xehanort chuckled again, turning around. "Sometimes I wonder if you are _blind _to the bigger picture, Eraqus."

Eraqus furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. He didn't know where the conversation was going. "What do you mean, Xehanort?"

There was silence for a moment, and Xehanort looked at the light streaming in through the rose window. "Light is a curious thing, Eraqus. It never comes alone. It is always accompanied by shadow. But, I wonder, which one _really _came first? Why is light so revered? Why haven't we attempted to solve this strange mystery, that has plagued us for thousands of years." He said mystically. "Starting with the X-blade." He added.

Eraqus felt a shiver go down his spine. "Xehanort- you don't mean to…"

"Put it out of mind, Eraqus. I thought, as a friend, you would be more enthusiastic about this. But I was wrong. I shall have to investigate the knowledge that was hidden from us for so long- alone."

As Xehanort began to walk away, Eraqus felt the need to stop him. "Wait! Xehanort!" he called. "There is a reason the precepts barred us from such knowledge! Why do you seek the X-blade?" he added, thinking of ways to persuade Xehanort against what he was planning on doing. "Would you blanket all the worlds in darkness- reduce them to nothing?!"

"But darkness did cover the world once, in legend…" Xehanort replied. "We know so little about the Keyblade War- only that it was just the beginning." He added. "Amidst that crisis, a precious light was found."

He paused to see if Eraqus would say anything, but the man was lost for words. So, Xehanort continued. "It is a curious tale- and one worth exploring. They say ruin brings about creation… So what, then, would another keyblade war bring? When the darkness falls, will we be found worthy of the precious light the legend speaks of? I must have these answers. The X-blade needs to be forged, and with it, the door to the Keyblade War unlocked!"

Eraqus forced himself to talk, even though he couldn't completely comprehend what his friend was saying. The Keyblade War had been the ruin of a once united, great nation, splintering the region into isolated parts that struggled to help their people rebuild. "Fool…" Eraqus growled, "you would risk an apocalypse out of sheer curiosity?!"

Xehanort looked at Eraqus uncaringly, obviously not remorseful in anyway. Eraqus battled within himself. He did not want to make his friend angry, or lose Xehanort forever. But, he could not risk him doing something so stupid. "I will never allow it, Xehanort- not while I live!"

"But once again… you have it all wrong, Eraqus…" Xehanort said slowly. "Darkness is a beginning, you see, not an end… at birth, every one of us emerges from darkness into a world of light, do we not?"

"Poetic excuses!" Eraqus spat, his anger mounting. Xehanort smiled at him grimly, and then turned around, and began to leave. Eraqus waited in vain for his old friend to come back, and tell him that it was all a joke, but he knew, unfortunately, that Xehanort was serious. "If words don't dissuade you… only one thing will!" he shouted, taking his keyblade into his hands, and charging at Xehanort.

The old man waited until Eraqus was almost upon him, and he took out his own blade, pointing it at Eraqus. Then, he made two swift slices across the man's face, and stepped back as Eraqus stumbled forward onto the ground.

Eraqus felt his face, and brought black blood from his cheeks. "What?" he said in bewilderment. His cheeks burned. "What is this? Have you been meddling with darkness, Xehanort?!" Eraqus shouted after him, and the old man turned. "Not your concern." He grumbled, and walked away, leaving Eraqus on the ground. There had been some substance on Xehanort's blade. What had he been experimenting on?

Eraqus felt a numbing effect travel through him for a moment, but he fought it back until it disappeared. It seemed as if Xehanort had planned everything to happen the way it had.

Eraqus could not trust his friend anymore. Not after what he had done.

…

It had been weeks since Eraqus had given his pupils leave. He was worried about Ventus' fate.

There were only seven beings of pure light- all princesses. Yet Ventus had no darkness in his heart at all. He had been aware of that when the boy had been sent to him, in a coma. The doctors who looked at him didn't know what was wrong. Ansem had happened to be there at the time that Ventus was sent in, and the boy fascinated him.

"It is too bad you didn't let me do extensive tests on the child." Ansem commented as they sat together in the teacher's lounge area. The philosopher scientist was on a visit to his friend, to see how things were doing.

Eraqus looked up in surprise. They had both been thinking about the same thing.

"All this mystery surrounding one kid. It must be killing you, having to keep him here all the time, because you don't know what trouble he may cause." Ansem went on, occasionally looking over at his friend to see his reactions. Eraqus looked increasingly perturbed.

"Do you remember hearing the story about the X-blade?" Eraqus murmured, and Ansem chuckled, going a little bit starry eyed. "One being of pure light, mixed with one being of pure darkness! Yes! The perfect being- one imperturbable, indestructible heart- able to control and understand the heart of every being and world."

"I never understood it." Eraqus added, and Ansem looked over at him in curiosity. "Well it's simple, Eraqus." He replied, rising in pitch as he explained. "Just another path to infinite wisdom. Taking the easy way out. Imagine, though, knowing the secret to every heart! You could build a person up, or break them down into a heaped mess with just a few words, a few actions!" he went on, and Eraqus chuckled, shaking his head.

"Don't tell me you're after infinite wisdom, too, Ansem." The man said weakly, and Ansem boomed laughter. "You bet your ass I am!"

Eraqus couldn't help but laugh, and the two sat like that for a short moment, going into momentary bliss. Then, reality sunk in again.

"Anyhow. Ventus came to me with a heart of pure light. You know that."

Ansem nodded. "Yes. All thanks to my discovery of the two substances of the being- light and dark."

Eraqus grinned. "Ansem, people have known about light and dark for centuries."

"But have they extracted the actual substance? I think not! Have they experimented with it? I think not!" he went on, and Eraqus looked over in sudden alarm, leaning towards him.

"You, haven't been meddling have you?" he growled, and Ansem's cheeks pinked in embarrassment. "Well…" he began, fumbling for the right words. Then, he gave up, deciding to tell the truth. "Yes. Yes I have been experimenting." He said defensively, and Eraqus sat back, shaking his head.

"I have been extracting light and dark from human beings, and putting them in a perfect condition to see how they react to each other when placed together."

"And what made you begin this strange experimentation?" Eraqus mumbled, and Ansem shrugged. "Ever since seeing Ventus in the coma, I started to wonder. What exactly is light and dark? I found a way to extract them- and now, I know that they are two naturally occurring substances within human beings."

"Do they influence behavior?" Eraqus said, and Ansem shrugged. "Not in the way that you would think. For example, a bad person might not necessarily be consumed by darkness. They are just consumed by their meanness. Darkness is completely different. I think that a person would have to meddle with or take in the actual substance in order to be consumed by it."

"Do you think that the people affected by the unversed are taking the substance in?" Eraqus put out, and Ansem guffawed. "I wouldn't go that far. Maybe it's just the unemployment rate. I think this 'emotional spell' will pass, and everyone will wonder what on earth they were worrying about." He added, and then furrowed his eyebrows, deep in thought. "But I would like to investigate it all the same."

There was momentary silence, before Ventus lingered into Eraqus' thoughts again. "Only the seven princesses of light are born filled with light. I think that Ventus was born with both light and darkness inside him…the darkness was extracted…"

"… But where was it put, Eraqus?" Ansem pondered, and the two sat again, in silence.

"I realize, now, the graveness of this situation. I have let a weapon of destruction flit about wherever it wants." Eraqus mumbled, and Ansem looked at him strangely. "I think you take this too seriously, Eraqus."

"Yen Sid informed me that he had the feeling something terrible was amiss. I am not going to take any chances. The X-blade is legendary. I would not like to meddle with it."

Bells began to toll, signaling the beginning of class, and Eraqus sighed, getting up. Ansem watched closely as the man crossed to the other side of the room, before addressing him. "Eraqus." He called quietly, and the man turned back to him with curiosity.

"X means death, Eraqus. What type of death, though, I wonder?" Ansem asked rhetorically, and Eraqus looked out the window as his friend continued.

"If the darkness was extracted from Ventus, it would have had to be put into a vessel. Once this vessel was developed enough to function on its own, it would be sent out, like a shadow, to find Ventus and bind with him."

Eraqus was silent. Ansem smiled. "The puppet master holds the cards, Eraqus. If you find him, the game ends."

Eraqus nodded, leaving the room. Many thoughts came into his head, but he did not want to think about them.

…..

Eraqus sat at his desk, looking out the window. He kept pondering over what Ansem had said to him, about the puppet master.

As he mulled over the conversation in his mind, he heard the sound of a motor, and noticed that, in the distance, there was a person riding up towards the castle. He held his breath, trying to look and see whom it was coming up to the school, but he couldn't make it out.

"Ah!" he growled to himself, pulling himself up away from the chair. Then, he hurried down to the yard in front of the entrance to the school. There, standing in a defeated way, was Ventus.

The boy looked down dejectedly at the floor as Eraqus made his way quietly towards him. "Ventus." The man said in awe, and the boy's shoulders sank, like he was exhausted. "You're alone? I thought Aqua would-"

Ventus began to sway, and Eraqus' heart went to the boy. He rushed in front of Ventus, and held him, trying to get the boy to look at him. "Well, what matters is that your home." He said simply. "You don't belong outside this world yet." He said gently. The boy was so young. Eraqus thought then that he should have taken better care of the boy.

"You need to stay here, where you can learn-"

"In your prison?" Ventus cut in, and Eraqus looked up in surprise. "What?" he said, angry and shocked at Ventus' sudden disrespect.

"That's your excuse… for keeping me imprisoned here, isn't it?" Ventus hissed. The boy never once looked at Eraqus as he spoke.

Eraqus' conversation with Ansem floated back into his mind, and he suddenly began to worry. "What did you hear?" he asked sternly, and looked on with deep worry as Ventus crouched down into an offensive position, as if ready to attack.

"That I'm supposed to be some sort of weapon! Some kind of X-blade!"

Eraqus felt the floor dissolve beneath him, but he kept his balance. Immediately, he knew for a fact who it was. Who the puppet master was. "I knew it. Xehanort." He whispered. "He could never let it go."

Suddenly, the memory of when Xehanort had given him the scars on his face came back to him all to clearly. How could he have been so blind? He knew all along that it was Xehanort! Even Ansem knew it was him! He had given the old man too many chances. "I failed." He said bitterly, thinking of the time that he struck at Xehanort. He should have ended it there and then, but he couldn't. "I had the chance to stop him and I couldn't do it. But I will not fail again."

If he couldn't take on Xehanort, he would have to destroy the source of the problem. Yen Sid was never wrong. It was either the boy, or the world that would suffer. Eraqus pulled his blade forth, aiming it towards Ventus, who looked on at his master, who had always been like a father to him, in fear. "Master, what are you-" he gulped, and Eraqus could feel his heart breaking as he looked at the little boy who had been like a son to him. But he would not let Xehanort win.

"The X-blade has no place in this or any world." He said sternly. "Xehanort has made his purpose clear- and I am left with no choice. Forgive me. But you must exist no more!"

Eraqus rushed at Ventus, and just as he was about to strike the boy down, the sound of a motor became suddenly audible.

"Ven!" a voice called, and Eraqus raised his blade up. When he sent it down, it was blocked by another blade. There standing in front of Eraqus, was Terra.

"What?" Eraqus seethed, stepping back in wonder. Terra guarded Ventus with a steely expression, looking at Eraqus with distain. "Master, have you gone mad?" he barked. Eraqus gritted his teeth, signaling for Terra to leave. But the young man would not move.

"Terra!" Eraqus shouted angrily. "I command you- step aside!"

"No!" Terra responded bravely. Eraqus ground his teeth, shaking his head. "You will not heed your master?"

"I won't!"

Eraqus felt like his world was falling apart. He should have never let Terra leave. "Why do all my attempts to reach you fail?" he growled. "If you don't have it in you to obey, then you will have to share Ventus' fate." He finally pleaded. He did not want to lose two sons today. A tear escaped his eye as he lunged at Terra. Their blades clashed, and Ventus looked on in horror as his friend, and his master, fought. He couldn't take it.

"Enough, Terra!" he cried. "He's right!" Ventus didn't know how to accept his death. But, he didn't think about it for long. "Quiet!" Terra snapped, and Ventus was jarred from his thoughts. He looked up at the scene above him once more.

Finally, Eraqus shoved Terra back, and clocked Ventus hard on the head with his blade. Terra was sent reeling back, and Ventus fainted.

Terra wiped blood from his lips, and looked at the little boy beside him with anger. He didn't care about his master anymore. "You may be my master." He said slowly, looking up at Eraqus. "But I will not let you hurt my friend!"

He felt something bubble up inside him, something terrible and inexplicable. It was like the substance that had gotten into him from the testers blade had stayed there, and multiplied. He could feel new power coursing through his veins, making him angry, but strong. Suddenly, Terra lunged at Eraqus with lightning speed, hitting his blade with the force of ten men.

Eraqus looked at his pupil in horror. "Has this darkness taken you, Terra?" he screamed, but the boy ignored him. Terra slammed the button on Ventus' shoulder down, and the boy's motorcycle whizzed towards them. Terra set it to autopilot, just as Ventus woke up, and strapped him in, sending him off. The boy struggled to get out, but the belt had been set for 5 miles, and Ventus didn't know how to change the settings on the bike. "Wait, Terra!" he called, sobbing, but he was carried off on the motorcycle, away from the fight.

Terra looked down for a moment, and then back up at Eraqus with rage. He lunged at his master who went for him, also, and they began to fight.

Eraqus was shocked by the power that the darkness inside Terra gave him. Eraqus had always learned to trust the light inside himself. The light was his power- and it took him years to perfect. But this darkness was terrifyingly visible through Terra's sudden speed and agility beyond his years. He countered all of Master Xehanort's attacks, and then, dealt the man a blow to the ribs, which sent him reeling back. He fell to the ground for a moment, before getting back up again, realizing what he had done. Terra looked on what he had done in shock.

"What have I done?" Terra choked, walking towards Eraqus slowly. "Master… I just wanted to keep Ven safe."

"No." Eraqus said weakly. "You were right." He thought of how he had struck out at his two students with such mighty force. It had been so easy for him. He was so bent on getting revenge for what Master Xehanort did to him… he felt like a fool. "I failed you, Terra." He said, brokenly, and his pupil looked at him in anguish. How could Eraqus have taught the boy to be righteous, after what he himself had just done? "Perhaps I've no one to blame but myself for the darkness inside you. And now, I've done worse-" he cut off, thinking with horror on what he had just done. "Raised my blade at you and Ventus. My own heart is darkness!" he said bitterly, and Terra lowered his head in anguish, reaching out for Eraqus' hand.

Then, a strange sound came out of Eraqus' throat, and Terra looked up in disturbed curiosity. His master's eyes glazed over, and Terra noticed his veins turning black. Then, his eyes turned a dark, dark grey, then black, and then, they went back to normal. The black in his veins faded away, as he keeled over into Terra's arms. When Terra looked at his face, the man looked like he had been put into a deep sleep. "Master Eraqus!" he cried, tears streaming down his face.

Footsteps came towards him, and he noticed two shiny black boots in front of him.

"What a sight." A gravelly voice addressed him, and Terra continued to look down at Master Eraqus. Had he been the one to poison Eraqus with darkness.

"Why do you trouble yourself with remorse, Master Terra?" Xehanort said mildly. "The man was bent on doing harm to your friend, his own pupil!"

Terra finally realized, that he had not been the one to kill his master.

"Master Xehanort! Why?" he shouted. The older man looked at him with a smile, and then turned around. "You know, at times, I find your progress quite striking. But you still fall short."

He walked further away, and Terra felt his mind beginning to cloud.

"Let all that anger out, my boy! Give your heart over to darkness!"

The strange anger Terra had felt before bubbled up inside him again, and he suddenly wondered if Xehanort had been the one to poison him during his Mark of Mastery exam. Was that the right word? Poison?

"What do you mean?" Terra shouted, getting up and drawing his blade.

"Still so blind." Xehanort murmured. "Then I will make you see. Come to the place where all keyblade wielders leave their mark on fate- the keyblade graveyard!"

Xehanort pressed a button on his wrist. Then, a small, sleek vehicle came towards them with a silent motor. "There you will watch your dear Ventus and Aqua meet their ends, and the last light within you will die!"

Xehanort smiled, and revealed the contraption on his wrist. It not only had a summon button, but it also featured another few buttons. Xehanort pressed them deftly, smiling at Terra as he did. Terra had the feeling that Xehanort's plans were coming to a head. Something terrible was about to happen.

"You won't need a home anymore where you're going!" Xehanort growled, and Terra gritted his teeth as Xehanort pressed one more button.

"What?!" Terra said incredulously, and there was suddenly a great rumbling from inside the earth. Then, he noticed Xehanort stepping into his vehicle, and driving off. "Xehanort!" he called in vain. Then, he witnessed something terrible.

Portions of his school exploded before his very eyes. Then, a few moments later, a great, black mist came from over the mountains, seeping out into the air around the school and beyond. Why on earth had Xehanort done this?! What was the point?

Terra looked down at the lucky charm he had been given by Aqua, and held it tightly in his hand. "Ven, Aqua…" he whispered to himself. "I won't let him hurt you."

He summoned his motorcycle, and trailed Xehanort's vehicle, as the world behind him seemed to dissolve to nothing.

….

Aqua rushed King Mickey to Yen Sid's house, her heart beating like a hammer. The young King was unconscious, and she was worried about him. She had found him at the side of a road as she was going back to the Land of Departure.

King Mickey's friends, Donald and Goofy, looked at him in earnest, trying to call out his name.

Yen Sid addressed Aqua. "Aqua, the stars bring me grave news. Master Eraqus' star has blinked out." He said mystically, and Aqua felt a sharp pain in her heart, even though she didn't completely understand. "I am afraid that means he has been struck down." He said plainly, and Aqua looked around in confusion.

"The Master? But- who is responsible?" She croaked, and Yen Sid looked at her closely. Then, he looked out the window, into the starry night sky, with sadness. "Master Xehanort… and Terra." He said simply, and Aqua's jaw dropped. Then, anger bubbled up inside her.

"No!" she said sharply, banging her fists on Yen Sid's desk in denial. "That's absurd! Terra would never…" she faltered, not able to continue. Yen Sid looked away with closed eyes, and then looked back at her gravely. "I hope with all my heart that you are right about your friend. There are some things even the stars cannot tell me."

"Where is he?" Aqua asked desperately. "Where can I find Terra?"

"Terra's heart is leading him to the ancient Keyblade Graveyard, where wielders of those weapons once waged war." Yen Sid rumbled.

Aqua nodded to Yen Sid, wiping at her eyes. "Alright." She tried to say with strength. "I have to go after him and see if it's true."

"Be on your guard." Yen Sid warned. Aqua hesitated for a moment. Then, she tightened her grasp around her wayfinder charm, and thought of her friends, giving her strength.

Aqua exited the tower, and summoned her motorcycle. It came to her, and she ran her fingers over it, with a sudden melancholy. She knew in her heart that this would be one of her last journeys on it. "Ven…Terra… please be safe." She pleaded quietly. "I'll find a way to get you out of this."

Then, she hopped on, and started it up, driving off towards the graveyard.

…..

Aqua stepped out onto the dusty ground before her, looking around. The landscape held no life at all, and the dust stormed around her, having no trees to hold it into the ground. Huge craters were dug into the cliffs and valleys surrounding the area, and the red clay landscape stretched for miles.

There was a part, in the middle of the landscape though, that made Aqua gasp. Thousands of keyblades, side by side, stuck into the ground, representing all the lives lost in the war. They were ancient, untouched for centuries.

She rode down to it, and parked her motorcycle as reasonable distance away. As she walked towards an intersection in the middle of the graveyard, she noticed a figure walking towards her. As she got closer and closer, she discovered whom it was.

The two former students stopped in front of each other, and looked at each other silently. The wind blew past them cuttingly.

"I was told" Aqua said suddenly, looking Terra in the eye "the Master was struck down."

Terra's eyes widened in slight shock, but then he became nonchalant again, looking away seemingly without care. "Yes." He said simply. "That's right."

Then, he became slightly angry. "I was stupid and helped Xehanort do it." He hissed. Aqua was lost for words.

"The master…" Terra whispered, "He tried to hurt Ven. I only fought because I wanted to protect him."

Aqua sighed, looking away without knowing what to think. "But I was tricked." Terra continued, his anger building. "Xehanort set the whole thing up. All so he could awaken the darkness inside me." He finished, and Aqua looked on, disturbed, noticing that Terra's veins were dark.

Terra turned to Aqua with a pained glance. "You were right, Aqua. And so was the Master. I did need to be watched. I went astray. But no more." He added.

Aqua looked down in sadness, trying not to cry. "What else is darkness, but hatred and rage?"

"Xehanort is feeding the darkness inside you- making you fight. You'll go astray again." She finally looked up at him. "Tell me- how does that honor our Master's memory, Terra?"

Terra looked up suddenly, and narrowed his eyes as he noticed Ventus coming towards them. He went up to them calmly, and put his head down. "Xehanort wants me and Vanitas to fight, and make some kind of 'X-blade'." He said bitterly. "But the Master said we can't let that happen... and he tried to destroy me for it."

"X- Blade?" Aqua asked blankly. Ventus shook his head, lost.

Aqua looked on sadly, as Ventus explained his situation. His eyes looked so old for his young age. He had been through so much already.

"It scares me to death… even the thought of it." Ven gulped, holding his heart like it would fall out of his chest. Terra went over to him and patted him on the back. "Relax, Ven." He murmured gently. We're gonna take care of you."

"I may have to fight Vanitas after all." Ventus choked, his hands shaking. He was just a little boy. Why was the world being so cruel? All Aqua could do was put her hand on Ventus' cheek. Terra held the little boy's shoulder strongly. But, Ventus backed away.

"I'm asking you as a friend... put an end to me."

In the distance, two black figures approached. One with a mask, the other with dark, yellow eyes, and an old, bald head.

…

"Well... he wanted me to buy time, and I'd say he got it!" Braig said through ragged breathing, and then turned on his heels and ran away from the scene. Aqua stopped when she saw that he was exiting the scene. She couldn't understand what he'd just said. Her mind was whizzing back and forth to different places as she stood in silence. All she could hear was Ventus, stuck on the ground behind her, and the sound of Terra fighting Xehanort on one of the peaks of the cliffs above. "What?" she whispered to herself, and then all of her senses zeroed in on Ventus. "Ven!" she screamed, and she noticed that he had shouted out her name at the same time. It was as if time slowed down, she could hear every sound as she turned to look behind her. The Masked Boy came down towards her from above, and clocked her sharply in the top of her spine and head with his key blade. She closed her eyes, and every sound disappeared as she went unconscious, crumpling to the ground.

The Masked Boy stayed crouched low for a moment, and then he slowly stood straighter, going towards Aqua's broken frame, and raised his key-blade over her chest, as Ventus tried desperately to get out of the paralyzed, frozen state that Xehanort had put him in. He felt anger course through him, and desperation. His heart began to beat faster, and he felt the feeling coming back to his limbs. Then, with a final burst of will power, he jumped up, screaming at the Masked Boy, who raised his head to look at Ventus, as the little boy charged towards him in a frightful rage, ready to battle.

...

Ventus looked back up at Vanitas, as the boy discarded his broken mask. "You've done it, Ventus." The boy said, the blood streaming from the deep gash Ventus had put in his chest. "Now that my body is about to perish, you and I will have to join together." He hissed, and Ventus realized what he'd just done. He'd just wanted to protect Aqua from Vanitas, but now, he had done it.

He had done what he'd promised he wouldn't.

As Vanitas' mask fell to the ground, Ventus gasped.

The boy had a young, tan face- twisted with pain and rage. His eyes were a unearthly, glowing yellow, and his hair was jet black. His body had made him look years older, and the pain and anger in his eyes made him look years older. But that face was young, like a child's. It scared Ventus. He wondered if the boy was his age.

"The X-blade will be forged!" Vanitas said in a manic happiness, he sank to the ground. A strange black tarrish substance gushed out of Vanitas with his blood, and his face contorted with wretched emotion. The tar traveled towards Ventus, and stuck him to the ground. When he tried to get out of it, black mist came up around him, and muddled his brain, making him disoriented. He felt thousands of strange emotions creep in at him.

"The Unversed- they come from you?" Ventus asked, and Vanitas smiled. "It happened when you and I were split in two. The negativity took shape through this. They are what I feel. I control them." He whispered, and Ventus thought he heard a hint of exhaustion in the young boy's voice.

"I released them everywhere I could, to get your attention. To lure you away." He said slowly, but Ventus could sense his excitement. How could he be so happy about dying? Vanitas stood back up, with wobbling knees, and forced himself to walk, as strongly as he could, towards Ventus.

Vanitas explained further, as he trudged towards Ventus, falling in a heap before him. When the strange boy finally stopped explaining, he smiled with pride. "You never stood a chance against us, Ventus." He hissed, and laughed. Then, he gurgled, and closed his eyes. Ventus could feel something creeping into his mind, messing with it, and then he felt himself lose control. A new, strong presence invaded his mind, and took over his body.

He had turned into Vanitas.

…

Aqua's eyelids fluttered open, and she jumped up, suddenly frightened.

"Gosh, I'm glad you're okay!" a voice called from beside her, and she turned to see King Mickey, smiling at her. She got up, and felt the back of her head, where the masked boy knocked her out. Then, she looked around, and a slight hysteria threatened to take her over. "Ven!" she called in a strangled voice, looking around her.

At first, she couldn't find him. But then, she saw him. He was turned around, a short distance away, beside the battered form of the Masked Boy. Aqua sighed out in deep relief, tears coming into her eyes. "Oh, thank goodness, Ven!" she said, happily running towards him. "You're safe!" she called and stopped in front of him. Ventus just stared at the ground. His face was bent low, so Aqua could not see his expression.

"Ven." She said, leaning in towards him, but he continued to look down. King Mickey hustled over, too, and the silence became unbearable. Then, he gaped a little bit, frowning. Something was inexplicably wrong.

Ventus began to look up, and Aqua felt fear well up inside her. The boy in front of her was not Ven.

His yellow eyes shone forth from his skull, twisted and maniacal. Then, before Aqua could react, He swung his blade at her, and she watched, fixated on those yellow eyes.

She felt like a third party observer, watching the scene, as Mickey used his own blade to thrust Ventus' weapon away from her. She could only step back, completely blank, and Mickey jumped in front of her, protecting her. "That's not Ven!" he said seriously, and Aqua gulped.

"Correct." The boy hissed gleefully. "I am not Ventus. His heart has become a part of mine now."

Then, he pointed into the sky. "This X-blade will open a door." He said. "And just like the legend says- the keyblade war will begin!"

Aqua could feel an invisible hand reaching out to her, trying to grasp at her heart, to control it. She could almost feel the darkness inside her stirring, but she pushed it back desperately. The boy looked at her smugly. He knew what was happening.

"Shut up!" Aqua shouted. "I'm sick of your nonsense! Give Ven his heart back!"

The boy smiled at Aqua, and lunged at her, and King Mickey, taking them out almost instantaneously. Aqua tried to get up, but she couldn't, she felt like she couldn't breath.

"You're just wasting your energy!" the boy called to her, and lunged at her again. She fought with all her strength, and finally, she thought of Ven, and Terra, and Eraqus, Mickey, Yen Sid- even Xemnas. She loved them all. They meant something to her. She needed to be strong for everyone. Especially little Ventus.

With all her heart, soul, and body, she thrust her keyblade forth, and the boy's blade flew out of his grasp. Then, she grabbed him, and screamed Ventus' name.

The boy seemed to be battling within himself, and he crumpled to the ground, fainting.

"Come, on Ventus!" Aqua cried to him as he lay down, stroking his hair. "You can do it! I have faith in you! We all do!"

Ventus shook, and jerked back and forth, battling within himself. Aqua held him closely, telling him over and over that he could do it. Finally, Ventus went still, and he breathed out deeply. A small distance away, Vanitas sputtered, and woke up, coughing.

"What?" he moaned, jerking back and forth in pain. "No, no, no!" he screeched, clutching at something in the air that was not coming to him. "The tar stopped the bleeding!" he gulped.

Then, he moaned, and stood up, realizing that it was useless to sit around. He scuffled away in anguish, looking forward with a mad stare. Aqua watched him disappear into the distance in slight fear. Then, she collapsed over Ventus, wondering what had become of Terra.

….

Aqua woke up on cold, green ground, and looked around in alarm. "Where am I?" she said, and noticed that she was in Yen Sid's study. The old man walked towards her, in order to help her up. "Aqua." He murmured. "You lost consciousness. Fortunately Mickey was able to bring you back to us."

She looked at Yen Sid expectantly, but he sighed. "I'm sorry, but there was no sign of Terra."

"I see." Aqua said brokenly, looking down at Ventus, who was still asleep. "Ven!" She said gently, shaking his shoulder, but he did not stir. She decided to shake him harder calling his full name, to no avail. "When will he wake?" Aqua said in a strangled voice, and Yen Sid did not answer immediately. She knew then that the answer would be hard to stomach.

"I could not say." Yen Sid mumbled, and Aqua looked down at Ventus hopelessly. "It is almost as though his heart has left. He may sleep like this forever." He added, and Aqua's throat tightened. "I'll keep him safe!" She said, looking up bravely. "Until he wakes. Forever if I have to."

"I will tell you what your friend needs right now." Yen Sid said quietly. "It is not your protection. He needs you to believe. You see, Ventus' heart hangs in the balance. He will be looking for a friend, one who believes in him, to show him the way home. Just as long as you love him… Ventus will be able to find you when he wakes. He can follow that love back to where he belongs."

Aqua looked down at Ventus, and pushed a strand of hair away from his face. King Mickey smiled, and looked at Aqua warmly. "Don't you worry, Aqua, I believe in Ven, too! Gosh, he's been as good a friend to me as anybody!" he added, and Aqua smiled a little bit.

Aqua looked at the way finder charm in her hand, and held it tightly.

…

Aqua returned to her old school, looking on in horror at what it had become. There was 'caution' tape lining the whole area, but the place had been deserted. The air was filled with negative emotions that crept in at her, and messed with her. But, she gulped it back, and went into her crumbling school.

Eraqus' body had been taken away, but his keyblade was still there.

As she travelled through the halls of the school, she remembered something that Master Eraqus had told her when she passed her Mark of Mastery exam.

"Aqua." The ghostly voice echoed through her mind, through the walls.

"Yes?" she whispered in response.

"Now that you are a master, there is one secret in particular you must know. Should anything happen to me, and you find the legion of darkness at our doorstep, I ask that you lock this land away."

"What?" she mumbled, remembering her bewilderment when Eraqus had explained it to her.

"Generations of Masters have been charged with keeping this land safe. Light and darkness exist in balance here, and there are those who would abuse such neutral ground. This is why our predecessors devised a certain… trick."

She slowly raised Eraqus' keyblade, and drove it through the communicator behind his throne chair. The pink screen shattered, and Aqua heard a clicking noise. Then, she turned it back and forth, in the sequence that Eraqus had taught her. There was a final click, then the turning of gears. The paint began to fall off the walls, and beneath the paint was shining white surface. Aqua looked on in awe as the walls moved around her, forming a new, small room. The floor on the other side of the room gave way, and shelves upon shelves of information rose up, and then into the back wall, hidden.

She looked around in awe at the new, pulsating white room. Then, she turned to Ventus, and stroked his hair. "I know it's a lonely place. But you'll be safe. Terra and I will be back to wake you up before you know it."

She waited half-heartedly for a response, but none came, so she exited the room. When she had left the castle, she looked back at it, and sighed. What was once a great majesty had become an ugly, reformation of the old castle. The trick set in place by the old keyblade Masters had made it unrecognizable. It was a master feat of architecture.

She felt something enter her head, a plea, and she acted on it, searching for its source.

She went into the courtyard, and gasped. It was Terra. But he looked strangely different. She rushed over to him, calling his name, but he looked forward blankly. When she stopped in front of him, he looked at her, and then reached out for her, grabbing her by the neck.

"Who am I?" he murmured.

"The darkness Terra! Fight it!" she called to him, but he tightened his hold on her neck, and she fell unconscious.

…..

Ventus woke up, and heard something calling him. It sounded like Terra. He was in a white room, and he stood up, and left. But he left something behind in that room.

He groped for a door out of the place, and found it. Terra was still calling to him. He got out of the castle, huffing and wheezing, but then, he saw him, off in the distance. He struggled to get to him, but when he did, he fell into Terra's arms. "Where's Aqua?" Ventus mumbled, and Terra looked down at him blankly.

Then, he began to beat Ventus, as if a rage had entered him that he could not control. Ventus screamed for him to stop, but he continued to beat him, and hurt him, until Ventus couldn't keep his eyes open any longer.

…..

Xehanort sat at his desk, fuming with rage. He had been weakened by his effort to control Terra. He had hoped to convert his consciousness into Terra's body, but it was a process that was very complicated, and fatal if messed up. He didn't want to waste any 'resources'.

"Xemnas, stop standing there uselessly. Check on it." He hissed, and Xemnas shook his head. "Up until a few days ago, it actually had a name."

"It does not deserve a name. It has failed me! It deserves the pain it is in!" Xehanort hissed, and Xemnas felt pity for the creature.

He looked behind him, and went out into the opposite room. Vanitas was chained to a pipe on the wall, and he sat, huddled in the corner, sobbing quietly. He jerked back and forth, in intense pain and anguish every few seconds, wailing for Xehanort to come in.

"Xehanort isn't coming." Xemnas said in disgust, noticing that Vanitas' clothes were soiled. The boy reached out to him, but Ventus slapped his bony hands away. The boy hadn't eaten or drank anything since his failure to take over Ventus' body. Every day he begged for Xehanort's forgiveness, but the man just strode past him without so much as an angry glance.

"Hit me!" Vanitas wailed, clinging to Xemnas. "Hit me again! Hurt me, please! I deserve it!"

His nine-year-old face stared back at Xemnas like a monster. His body had been so modified by the drugs and darkness that had been inserted inside him, that now that everything had gone wrong, his body was carried past its planned existence. His muscles were swollen, and his belly swelled out. He had hives on parts of him, and his veins were pulsating, and black.

He disgusted Xemnas, and scared him. He didn't care if he was just a little boy.

"Get away from me! You're disgusting!" Xemnas hissed, and left the room, going back into his father.

"How is he?" Xehanort growled. "Disgusting, sniveling." Xemnas replied. "He needs to be cleaned up. He won't eat."

"Such a nuisance!" Xehanort grumbled. "I have the mind to dispose of him. Is the girl here yet?" he snapped, and Xemnas furrowed his eyebrows. "What girl?" he said, and Xehanort chuckled.

Terra brought Aqua in, and set her on a chair and tied her down, slapping her to make her regain consciousness. When she woke up, she kicked and screamed for a while, hysterical and angry, but she soon became exhausted. She looked on at Xemnas, as if expecting him to save her, but he did nothing.

"How are you doing, Aqua? The great Key Blade Master." He chuckled. "Such an outdated term, don't you think?"

"Then why did you make the school?" she said hoarsely, and Xehanort's eyes shone. "My son came to me with the excellent idea to create a school for children like you. Worthless. To make them worth something. The three most famous students- I knew I could make them worth something."

"You monster!" Aqua screeched, and Terra punched her in the face, making her nose stream blood down her front. She forced her tears back, and looked at Xehanort angrily.

"I am becoming old. That scares me. But with Terra, I can be young again. I can have a redo. I was going to acquire the X-blade for myself. I could have created thousands of soldiers like Ventus! Indestructible! I had talked about the idea years ago with my good friend, President Shinra. He talked of how he had used the life stream, taken control of it and used it to control his people. This world is so blind to change. I wanted to make it better." He said, chuckling.

"You are nuts!" Aqua hissed, and Xehanort smiled. "Maybe."

"But I also wanted to see the secrets hidden in that school. Did you know, that the secret library was hidden from me?" he hissed, and Aqua furrowed her eyebrows. "It is a special privilege granted to the most accomplished keyblade masters. Yen Sid was granted that honor in his day, and just recently, Master Eraqus was granted that honor. I was not." He growled. "I found out that my old Master, Avitus, had suggested that the title be kept from me!" he hissed.

"I tried to find the secret room, and I systematically detonated different parts of the castle, in order to locate that room. My son has been doing research on the castle's architecture." He added, and Xemnas looked away in shame. "But I could not locate it. It seems that the castle has been rewired, and I cannot figure it out."

"What is it that you want from the library?" Aqua shouted, and Xehanort grinned. "The library holds all the journals and knowledge of the old keyblade masters before us- back beyond the Key Blade War! It had books on converting consciousness… on the X-blade… among other legendary things."

Aqua thought of the aisles of books that rose up from the ground, and disappeared behind one of the walls in the school when she locked it.

"Do you know where it is, key blade Master?" Xehanort mocked, and Aqua looked at him sternly. "I don't know what you're talking about. I never got the honor to look at such things!" she spat, and Xehanort narrowed his eyes at her. "Are you sure?"

He snapped his fingers, and Terra moved closer to him. He sighed. "I suppose that I will have to perform the transfer of consciousness here, without the books." He sneered, and Aqua gulped as she looked at Terra, whose eyes were blank.

"Terra!" she called out to him as Xehanort stood up. "Don't listen to him! I have faith in you! Come back to Ventus and me! You said that you wouldn't let him win!" she screamed, and Terra was jogged for a moment. Aqua could see the effect it had on Xehanort.

"Terra, don't let him have control!"

Terra blinked out at Xehanort, and then lunged towards him. "Xemnas!" Xehanort called, and Xemnas pulled Terra back, striking him down. Aqua screeched in horror as he fell over.

"What have you done to him?" Aqua cried, and Xemnas blinked out at her, furrowing his eyebrows. He was conflicted. "Xemnas, help me!" she cried, and Xemnas hesitated. "Don't touch her!" Xehanort growled, but Xemnas couldn't stand it, and he trudged over, and untied Aqua, who slapped him in the face.

"What was that for?" He wailed. "For knocking out Terra." She chocked, and Xemnas looked at her with sad eyes. Then, he looked at his father. "Dad, I don't want you handling Aqua in this way. Let's be civilized." He tried, and Xehanort chuckled. "Of course. Let's be 'civilized', Xemnas." He sneered, and his son looked down at the floor, deeply uncomfortable.

Aqua stamped her foot down, and leaned in close to Xehanort. "I don't plan on being civilized at all!" she yelled, and Xehanort chuckled. "Oh, we'll see about that."

He snapped his fingers, and Xemnas rolled his eyes. Then, he brought out a little boy; badly beat up, sitting in a wheel chair.

"Ventus!" Aqua choked, running towards him and trying to throw her arms around him. "Pull her away from him." Xehanort snapped, and Xemnas pushed Aqua away gently. "You might hurt him if you hug him too hard." He murmured, and Aqua's feet almost gave way underneath her.

"Aqua." Xehanort said, and she looked back at him with tears rolling down her cheeks. "Ventus is struggling to stay alive right now. You are trapped within these walls. I know that you have the power to escape from this situation. You have grown more powerful than I ever could have suspected. And with my new weakness… it would be easy for you." He murmured.

"But I have Ventus." He added, as Xemnas wheeled Ventus back out of the room.

"What are you going to do with him?" Aqua spat, and Xehanort shrugged. "I don't know. I could put him in with Vanitas for a little while. I'm sure Vanitas would have fun ripping him from limb to limb. He hates him now, you know." Xehanort chuckled. "Or I could make him to be just like Vanitas."

Aqua looked over at Xemnas, who had returned, helplessly. But, the man ignored her.

"Xemnas!" she pleaded, and Xehanort laughed at her. "My son does not hear you. He only answers to me, his father." Xemnas looked down sadly, and Aqua blinked back tears.

"Now. Here is what I ask from you. Leave town, and Ventus will be left alone. Stay, and Ventus will be hurt. I can think of thousands of ways to hurt him. And so young… he wouldn't recover…"

Aqua sat down helplessly, feeling the room spin around her. Why wasn't Xemnas helping her? Didn't he love her?!

"Leave." Xehanort said, and Aqua looked over at Xemnas one more time. He did not look back.

"Xemnas. I thought you loved me." She said weakly. But, he ignored her.

She nodded, and left. She decided that she would go back to the school to find what little there was left of her things. They were strewn across the ground on the third floor. She sobbed as she packed a few little bags, and went back downstairs.

As she sat in the hallways at the entrance of the new castle, she felt something drop from the ceiling, and hit her shoulder. When she picked it up, she cried more. It was Master Eraqus' journal.

She did not read it. She sent it to Yen Sid, meeting with him and telling him that she was preparing to go find Terra. He tried to stop her, knowing that something was wrong, but she ran out, not wanting to hear anything else. She couldn't bear to hear anything else.


	17. The Massacre of Hollow Bastion

**This chapter is long, but it goes into the history of the 'Hollow Bastion Massacre'. Please enjoy, I will be editing for errors. I think this fan fiction will soon be coming to a close, so please hang on until the end! Thank you for reading! **

Ansem went into the lobby of the Castle of Dreams, and inhaled the sent of white roses, scattered around the beautiful, expansive hallways. There was a reception for the 100th birthday of Master Decima, a keyblade Master, scientist, and philosopher. She had been a great role model to Ansem when he was a younger man, but as he had gotten older, his deep respect for her had waned.

In her younger days, (if you could call them that) she had been a stern teacher, but as the years went on, she became more and more like a delightful little old lady. She had been retired for a long time, now, but she was still regarded as one of the finest Keyblade Masters to have ever lived.

She sat beside the lobbyist, croaking a good-natured hello at everyone. One very wealthy philanthropist, who had sponsored some of her work close to the time she retired, came in with a very gaudy, black-feathered hat. For a moment, Master Decima blinked at it with suspicion, and then she tapped the woman with her cane.

"What on earth are you doing with a crow on your head? Do you think you're being funny?" She snapped, and the woman blushed madly, patting the top of her head, as if afraid it would fly away. The lobbyist rolled her eyes, and patted Master Decima's shoulder. "It's a hat."

"It's flying away! I can see it there on the ceiling!" Master Decima pointed up, and Ansem looked up lazily. As he expected, there was no bird on the ceiling. Master Decima's mind had obviously degraded.

Master Decima blabbed on, as the line up to the reception desk grew shorter, and Ansem couldn't help but shake his head, and chuckle. Obviously, Master Decima's age had not been entirely kind to her mind. She was not the stern, highly accomplished individual that she had once been.

There was the ringing of bells, and everyone moved towards the great ballroom, which had been set up with tables and chairs for everyone to be seated in. It was a magnificent set up.

Ansem took a seat in his own chair, sighing. He looked around to see who was around him, and for some reason, became sad when he noticed an empty chair, just a little ways away. It suddenly reminded him of Eraqus, his old friend.

Somehow, evidence had cropped up that Eraqus had been stealing funds from the University- and the board, too. A lot of people suspected that if it was at all true, it had to be for some kind of research. There had been a police investigation surrounding the black mist that had enveloped the Land of Departure, and crept into some other cities, and evidence had been found that Eraqus' former student, Terra, had been involved in many sinister deeds in other cities. Eraqus had sent his pupils off to other cities to 'set the balance straight', and yet one of them had caused the on set that was ravaging the region right now. Eraqus had disappeared, Terra had disappeared, and his other pupil, one who had become a keyblade Master, Aqua, had also disappeared. The only person who was still within reach was Ventus, who was in the hospital for severe injuries. He seemed to have been going through deep psychological trauma, too. He would not tell anyone what happened. King Mickey had been quick to defend Eraqus and his pupils, but he was pegged as being 'just young', he 'didn't know enough'.

Yen Sid publicly went to the police, announcing that he had a grave feeling that something even worse was coming than before, and that Xehanort should be kept an eye on. He was laughed off.

After that, the authorities barred keyblade Masters from meddling with the investigation process, and basically, wrote off the idea of light and darkness being a cause of whatever was going on. The Unversed were explained as a strange emotional crisis, and the black mist was some sort of chemical that had been released into the air when the University in the Land of Departure had been blown up. People concluded to themselves that that had been what Eraqus' research had been.

Investigators and former teachers of the school were shocked to find the new building. The university was in the process of being closed down, and the school had to sell the land around it, including the twin peaks, to make up for their loss. Now, chemical plants had bought the peaks, and the construction inside their depths could be heard rumbling throughout the city.

The Police Presidential Chief, who was the representative for a big, unorganized conglomeration of police stations throughout their region, made a big speech to the board, about how 'this would not be tolerated', and that everyone needed to 'calm down, and carry on'. He utilized Xehanort to help make his point, and Xehanort expressed his sadness at the loss of his school, and of his own young pupil, Vanitas, who had also disappeared. His position on the board was upgraded to the highest honor possible.

Ansem ground his teeth as he thought about the injustice of the situation. Xehanort had undergone a small trial, in regards to his involvement in the whole ordeal, and King Mickey gave evidence that Xehanort's own pupil had attacked them.

Xehanort admitted that he had gone to the Keyblade Graveyard in order to find his pupil, Vanitas, the mysterious masked boy whom everyone had talked about extensively. Xehanort said that he had been teaching the boy in private, like Eraqus was doing for Ventus, because of the boy's young age. Xehanort commented sadly on how the boy was missing his classes more and more, and finally, he went out after him to see what was going on. Ansem had been at the trial, and remembered the way it had gone.

….

"The sight that awaited my old eyes was heartbreaking." Xehanort said sadly, gripping the sides of the witness box as if for support. The whole room felt deeply sorry for the poor old man, who had lost his own student.

"I have been told that my own student was the source of the problem, that he lured Terra into what he became. And I must take responsibility for that."

"It wasn't your fault, sir." The lawyer said quietly, and Xehanort shook his head. "It was. I should have taught him better."

The lawyer nodded, and then sighed. "King Mickey has said that he saw you at the Keyblade Graveyard, watching over the ensuing events with glee. He says you were very much involved."

"I was no more involved than one of the key blades scattered around me." He said. "I could hardly move for shock."

The defense lawyer then called a doctor up to the stand. The doctor talked about how Mickey had been repeatedly hit in the head during the fighting, so that he could have hallucinated seeing Xehanort getting involved.

King Mickey bravely stated that he saw Xehanort fighting alongside the Masked Boy.

Then, Ventus was called to the stand. The little boy limped over on crutches, keeping his head down, looking at the floor vacantly.

"Hello, Ventus." The defense lawyer said warmly, but the little boy continued to look down with a blank stare. "I'm going to ask you a few questions, do you think that you can answer them?"

Ventus looked up at him, shaking like a leaf, and the man just chuckled, and turned around to everyone with a smile. "Shy." He said, and everyone chuckled, their hearts going out to the 'sweet little boy'.

"Now, I am going to ask you a few questions, and all you have to say is yes, or no. Did Xehanort try to hurt you?"

The little boy looked out under his eyelashes at Xehanort, who smiled at him. "No." he choked.

"Was he involved in the battle at the Keyblade Graveyard?"

"No."

"Did he ever strike you as anything else than the kind, righteous man that he is?"

Ventus gulped, and then tears rolled down his cheeks. "No." he said quietly, and the lawyer looked around. "No further questioning."

…

Ansem whipped his head up, hearing the tinkling of a glass. Master Decima was going to give a speech. He sat back in entertainment, wondering what strange things she was going to come out with.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ansem noticed Xehanort sitting down at the table of honor, in Yen Sid's place. Ansem tried to search around for Yen Sid, but it seemed that the old man had not come. It made the anger inside Ansem increase.

"Hello, everyone. Thank you for coming!" Master Decima said sweetly, and the whole room chuckled, and a few said 'aw'.

She waited till the response had died down, before she continued.

"I remember a long time ago, when I myself was a student, on my way to becoming a keyblade master!" she reminisced, and everyone fell silent. "The first time my old Master, Master Babak, looked at me, he told me I would never become a Master of the keyblade!" she said quietly. "But, I persevered, and with time, I earned his respect because of my hard work and dedication. Hard work is probably the most important thing. Also, doing the right thing. Not letting darkness cloud the vision."

There were a few chuckles from around the room, and Master Decima eyed them carefully.

"There is darkness within each heart. Once it wakes, it is quick to take over. Darkness has been awakened." She added sternly, in a voice reminiscent to her earlier days. "If we do not find the source of the darkness, soon, it will take over. The only way to defeat an impossible foe is to work together!" She continued, banging her little fork on the table in front of her for emphasis.

"I had hoped that I would have the privilege to depart from a world that was peaceful and happy, like it has been for so many years. I still hope for this." She murmured, and the room looked at her expectantly. Her face contorted with slight confusion for a moment, as if she had forgotten what she was going to say next. So, she just sat back, and nodded.

A younger board member jumped up, and raised his glass. "A toast! To this lovely little lady!" he said sweetly, patting her on the shoulder, and she looked as if she despised it. "A toast to light." She muttered, and raised her glass a little bit. The man drank daintily from his own glass, but Master Decima knocked hers back.

Dinner was served; an array of dishes, all sumptuously cooked to perfection. A stuffed pig was brought out, and Ansem slowly found himself looking into its squinty, empty eye sockets.

At that point, he decided that he had had enough. He got up from the table, and went outside to the balcony, looking out over the trees in the distance, and sighed. The whole thing made him angry. With Master Decima's age, she had become more reclusive and less respected. Now she had to have an aid help her around.

It seemed, though, as if keyblade Masters everywhere had lost their respectability. Except, Xehanort, of course. He was a 'new kind of thinker', as people loved to say.

Ansem thought of the last time he had spoken to his friend. Eraqus had said that he was going to talk to Xehanort. Then, he 'disappeared'. Ansem was sure that Xehanort had something to do with it.

Suddenly, he became aware of footsteps coming towards him, and he turned around to see Xehanort standing beside him. "Are you enjoying the dinner?" The old man said, and Ansem sighed heavily. "Why?"

"Just curious. You stepped away from the table so abruptly."

"I needed a breath of fresh air. I was getting tired of sitting around a bunch of stuffy, rich, 'do-gooders'."

Xehanort chuckled. "Isn't that something of what you are to your own people?"

Ansem grinned a little bit, nodding. "I suppose you are right." Then, he turned back to the sky. "But, my contribution is not money. I am first and foremost, a philosopher. But I am also a leader and a scientist. I want the lives of my people to be full of joy. I am paid by their smiles."

"I heard that you have been troubled by the tides of darkness sweeping over our land." Xehanort commented, and Ansem looked at him out of the corner of his eye. "Where did you hear that?"

"You forget, I was once a friend of Eraqus." Xehanort chuckled. "I was also surprised to find that you have been looking into this darkness and light business scientifically."

Ansem pursed his lips. "I did discover that they are substances within the body."

"Are they capable of influence in behavior?"

"That is confidential information." Ansem snapped.

"What I mean is, that interests me, as well." Xehanort said good-naturedly. "I would like to fund the experimentation."

Ansem looked at Xehanort angrily, and stepped towards him. "I do not need your money." He spat, and the old man chuckled. "Then how may I contribute?"

"You cannot contribute."

"That breaks my heart!" Xehanort chortled, and Ansem's blood boiled. Why was the old man being so nice to him? "But really, I would suggest that you take me up on my offer. Forgive me this fault, but I feel out of touch with my son. I want him to know that I support him." He continued, and Ansem felt slight softness creep over him.

Xehanort Jr., though he hated being called that, had become very dear to Ansem. The man had gained the highest spot on Ansem's research team, and Xehanort Jr was making countless new advances in the technology of Radiant Garden.

"This is not about you." Ansem growled. "Your son is a man now, let him look after himself. Sometimes, even big people like you can't get what they want. And while he works for me, you don't get involved." Ansem added. "When he gets out on his own, becomes a scientist, then you can fund him."

Xehanort grinned at him strangely for a moment, and then chuckled darkly. "You suffer from hubris, Ansem. Be careful."

Ansem grinned back, challenging Xehanort, who simply smiled, and turned around. Then, he went back inside, to the party, followed a little while later by Ansem.

Master Decima was talking to numerous guests, many of who wanted a picture with her more than anything. It was apparent that the old woman was getting very tired. By 9 o'clock, Master Decima was fast asleep at the reception desk, and most of the guests had taken to speaking with each other. The old woman was taken home by her aid shortly after.

As the party dragged on, Ansem relaxed by the pillars in front of the great hall, sipping on some wine.

He turned just in time to notice Yen Sid, standing tall and domineering, in one of the corners of the room. He met eyes with Ansem for a moment, and then disappeared behind the pillars leading down the steps. Ansem signed out at the reception desk, and followed out after Master Yen Sid, who walked towards the train station in the distance.

"Sir!" Ansem called, and Yen Sid turned around slowly, seemingly irritated.

"Is something wrong, sir?" Ansem asked. Yen Sid pursed his lips, closed his eyes, and then opened them again, looking at Ansem sternly. "I am just wondering why you are talking so loudly." He growled, and Ansem went red in the cheeks. "Sorry, sir." He mumbled, and Yen Sid beckoned for him to follow.

"Would you be interested in coming to my tower for some tea?" Yen Sid asked seriously, and Ansem grinned. "I would be honored, Master Yen Sid. When is this tea going to be?"

"Tomorrow at 1." Yen Sid replied shortly. "And don't be late."

Then, the retired Master stalked off, examining the night sky as he went.

…

Mickey was helping Yen Sid set up the tea, when the echoes of the door being knocked rose up through the tower.

"Go get the door, would you, Mickey?" Yen Sid asked, and Mickey nodded, hurrying downstairs. There were the sounds of enthusiastic voices, and the sound of feet ascending steps, before Mickey and the guest entered the room.

"Hello!" the man said nervously, and Yen Sid gave him a deep bow. The man seemed very embarrassed, and bowed back. "I'm not late, am I?" he asked sheepishly.

"You are not." Yen Sid replied, setting up a coffee table and a few chairs in his study. "But Ansem is about to be. I told him not to be-"

There was another great echoing through the tower, and Mickey went to answer the door again. He came up with Ansem.

"Hello!" Ansem said enthusiastically. They all greeted one another, and then sat down. Yen Sid pulled over his desk chair, and got comfortable, taking up a cup of tea and a few biscuits from the coffee table. "Now, onto business." He said lazily, and gave King Mickey leave to begin.

"Well!" King Mickey said enthusiastically. "For some years now, there has been a small investigation division in our region. We like to call it the Royal Investigation Bureau. To everyone else, it would be the Disney City Investigation Bureau. And, as you know, our investigators are some of the best in the business. I brought one such investigator, who has been behind a lot of important cases in the recent past. And, here he is!" he said enthusiastically, pointing to Sora's father, who stood up awkwardly.

"Hello." He said nervously, and then sat back down again. Ansem leaned back in his seat, deciding to get comfortable. Yen Sid addressed them all.

"I think you all would have figured out by now, that this is no 'tea time'. We have important things that we need to discuss, without the risk of being put under suspicion."

"Are things that bad?" Ansem chuckled, and Yen Sid frowned at him, deeply serious. Ansem sat up a little straighter after that.

"I have brought a gifted investigator, the young King of Disney City- the most pristine city in our region-, and I have brought a philosopher of light and dark."

"What have we all been gathered here for, sir?" Ansem asked, and Yen Sid sighed, closing his eyes. "I have called you all together in order to bring about the creation of a region wide Investigation Bureau. You shall have my backing, and King Mickey's. But, that will not be enough. Not after what has happened with Eraqus and Xehanort. We need you, Ansem." Yen Sid said slowly, turning his head to face the sage.

"Me? Why me?" Ansem said in excitement, and Yen Sid turned it over to Mickey.

"We have lost some of our credentials after the way the police treated us. But your city is the Capitol of Light! Your opinion would be immensely important in swaying the board's mind!"

Ansem nodded. "And who would this investigation bureau be run by?"

King Mickey smiled, and all eyes turned to the nervous man, who was sipping at his tea. "Me?" he said in bewilderment, and King Mickey nodded, smiling. "We trust you more than anyone."

The man gaped for a moment. Then, he jumped up, shaking everyone's hands with zeal. "I will definitely do all in my power to get this set up and taken care of!" he babbled enthusiastically, and then sat back down again.

"Now, onto Ansem again." Yen Sid murmured. "You are an expert on the properties of light and dark?" Yen Sid asked, and Ansem chuckled, shaking his head. "Hardly." He replied.

"Would you mind studying its properties, very briefly?" Yen Sid asked, and Ansem looked up in surprise. Just a while ago, Eraqus had warned him against meddling with darkness.

"What, sir?"

"I want you to write me reports on your findings. For a while, I had been looking extensively into the great library of the University of the Land of Departure. But, with the school having been destroyed, I have lost a great number of reports on the properties of light and dark."

Ansem sat back in great interest, taking in everything Yen Sid said. The old man seemed extremely troubled.

"I cannot help but feel that we must approach this with the utmost caution. I trust every single one of you." He rumbled. "But I feel a great weight bearing over me, a raincloud waiting to release its showers onto us. I hope that this is not an inevitable occurrence."

"We'll make sure it won't be, sir!" Mickey murmured with great respect, and Yen Sid nodded. "I hope so. For all of our sakes."

The air felt heavy for everyone, but no one wanted to try to break it.

"Well, does anyone have any question?" Yen Sid asked bleakly, and everyone shook their heads. "Well, let's have tea!" Mickey jumped up to get more tea for everyone, but Yen Sid stopped him. "Master Mickey, you do not need to get me my tea anymore."

Mickey was touched, but shook his head defiantly. "Sir, I would be honored to get you your tea!" with that, he whizzed over to the teapot, and began to pour more tea for everyone. Then, he refilled the biscuit plate, and they all sat down awkwardly. The nervous man stepped up to help Mickey, and Yen Sid and Ansem were left alone. Ansem decided that he would address Yen Sid, who was rubbing his temple.

"Master Yen Sid?" he said quietly, and Yen Sid looked up at him in curiosity. "What is it, son?" he said mystically, closing his eyes and sitting back. "I must know what happened to my friend, Eraqus." He whispered urgently, and Yen Sid's eyes flew open, prompting him to sit up straighter.

"Why do you want to know?"

"I need to know how to feel about this situation."

Yen Sid opened and closed his mouth. His conscience was telling him that he should tell this man what truly happened. But, his sense of duty told him to keep the past hidden away from this non- keyblade master.

"He disappeared, boy, that is all we know." Yen Sid said sternly, and then softened. "I miss him greatly, also. He was a good friend. You must cherish friends. But always be aware that darkness sleeps in everyone." He added.

Ansem thought about it for a moment, his mind going to his troop of scientists, especially young Xehanort. He seemed so unlike his father. So eager, and young, naïve, and determined. Ansem thought of him as a son.

Xehanort had often lamented about his father, and how they did not get along. Ansem had always told him that if he needed someone, his colleagues were always there.

Ansem decided that he would truly give Xehanort a chance. He had been watching him carefully up to this point. But he was clearly not his father in the slightest. The young man would go on to do great things.

"Thank you, sir!" Ansem said warmly, and Yen Sid looked at him darkly.

Ansem went over to talk to Mickey, and they found that they got on quite well. "You should come over to Radiant Garden more often, sir!" Ansem chuckled, and Mickey nodded. "Perhaps I will."

Eventually, tea ended, and Mickey and Yen Sid were the only people left in the tower.

"Mickey." Yen Sid started, prompting the young King's attention. "I need you to watch Ansem."

Mickey blinked in surprise, confused. "Why, sir?" he asked, and Yen Sid looked out the window gravely, watching the sun set on the horizon.

"I fear that I said something I shouldn't have. It is terrible how events unfold. Order falls into chaos."

"Maybe you are worrying too much, sir." Mickey tried. "I thought you had retired!"

Yen Sid chuckled. "A Master never truly retires. I must continue to keep watch. And so must you." He added, turning to Mickey, who looked up, slightly nervous. "I do not trust Ansem's apprentice, the young Xehanort. I do not care how different he is from his father. Watch that Ansem does not meddle too much with the darkness. I would just like a weekly report on his contemplations of the subject."

Mickey nodded, and Yen Sid sighed. "I hope Ansem is a strong man."

…

Ansem thought over his conversations with Yen Sid at his office in Radiant Garden. 'The Capitol of Light', everyone called it. Darkness seemed to be beginning to creep in at it. The Unversed problem had never been completely stamped out, and Ansem feared, that if it was in fact a real problem, and not just an 'emotional crisis' as he had joked before, that it could develop into something new, and worse. The sage found himself continuously pondering back to what Master Decima said, how the 'darkness had been awakened'. The black mist that covered the Land of Departure couldn't have _just _been a massive dose of the Unversed.

Ansem had been given permission to conduct experiments on the black mist surrounding the city. What most interested him, was the fact that the mist was most heavily concentrated near the University, despite the fact that the black mist supposedly came from 'beyond the mountains.' When he experimented on the mists in the different locations, he found that they were made from different substances. The 'Unversed' did in fact come from beyond the mountains. But, the air closer to the University was filled with another substance, not just the Unversed. That led Ansem to a crucial discovery.

There were in fact two substances residing within the human body, light and dark. But, Ansem had now found that they existed outside of the body too. This strange energy force seemed to exist in three categories: light, darkness, and neutrality- the absence of light and dark.

In Ansem's studies at the destroyed University, he noted that there was an absence of light and dark within the building. Outside of the building, darkness was heavy in the atmosphere, and in a few- very few places, there were tiny pockets of light, which led Ansem to believe that originally, the area must have been full of light.

It made Ansem wonder if the black mist that had covered the city had really been the Unversed. Or, had the Unversed developed to something much more sinister when it reached the University, destroying the light outside the University and transforming it into darkness?

Master Decima's words returned to his mind. What if the cities with the most light were the most in danger of being swallowed by darkness? There were increasing numbers of disappearances in the Land of Departure- people going crazy and running away. What if the 'Capitol of Light' was the next target?

Yen Sid had not been the one to convince him to start experimenting. He had been thinking about it for a long time. It certainly helped his sense of morality, to know that what he was doing would be all right. He wanted to help his people more than anything.

Young Xehanort walked into the room silently, and cleared his throat a little bit, attracting Ansem's attention. "What is it, son?" Ansem mumbled, and Xehanort shrugged. "It just seems like you have been deeply troubled these days. I was wondering what was wrong." He said quietly, and then blushed a tiny bit. "I know it's not my place to ask, but…"

Ansem chuckled, and then went over and patted the young man on the shoulder, smiling at him affectionately. "It is never 'not your place'. You are like a son to me. I am flattered that you worry about me." He added, going over to his desk and reorganizing papers. "It is a simple worry, Xehanort." He grumbled. "The disappearances in the Land of Departure are eating away at me, making me worry. Sometimes I wonder if the fate of the Land of Departure is to be our fate."

Xehanort shrugged. "It's hard to combat something you don't understand. You need to identify the enemy clearly to strike it down."

"That's exactly what I was thinking, Xehanort." Ansem replied with enthusiasm. "That's why I have been experimenting on the substances of light and dark." He continued. "I fear that when the darkness is mixed with a trigger- most notably, the Unversed, it eats at the light in its midst. When darkness and light from one sample are mixed with the darkness of another sample, darkness takes over. Darkness seems so aggressive. It worries me."

"Wouldn't it be easier to see the effects of light and dark on a real human being?" Xehanort asked, and Ansem looked at him with slight surprise. Xehanort stood coolly and seriously. "Do you mean to experiment on a person?" Ansem growled, and Xehanort nodded.

"Out of the question." Ansem snapped, leaving his office, and Xehanort pursued him. "But what if you did it on me? I will willingly volunteer! I want to help people too!" Xehanort said passionately, and Ansem looked at him in fear. "I don't know… Yen Sid would not approve…"

"That old man is behind the times. He is stuck in a time period filled with fear." Xehanort replied cuttingly. "If this is beneficial to the people, why aren't we doing it?"

Ansem pursed his lips. The seconds ticked by as he mulled it over in his mind, and after more than five minutes, he decided to go ahead with it, and nodded. "Help me set up a laboratory space in my office. Get the conditions right. If everything goes well, I will have samples and triggers by tomorrow. Be ready." He added, and Xehanort nodded with an excited grin.

…

Ansem put a special suit on; to make sure that he would not be exposed to the substances he was going to experiment on his pupil with. The thought made his stomach churn, and his heart beat faster at the same time. Having an actual human to experiment on was a huge advantage. But Ansem was taking a chance. Xehanort had reassured him numerous times that he was strong enough to combat anything that Ansem threw at him.

When Xehanort entered the experimentation chamber, he laughed at the way Ansem was dressed, in his full body suit to protect him from harmful chemicals.

"Ansem, the darkness can't be that dangerous."

"We don't know that yet, Xehanort." Ansem growled. Then, he turned on a mist machine, inserting a vile of blue fluid into a slot at the side of the machine. "This is the detach substance that you developed." He mumbled, and Xehanort nodded.

"It will make it easier to experiment on the darkness and light within me."

Ansem sighed, and then brought out another vile, containing a greyish fluid. He took on deep breath, and pressed the on button on the small camera attached to the side of the chamber. When he was sure it was recording, he began. "Day one." He started. "The dosage is one gram darkness, mixed with 27.35 grams neutral substance. We will wait 20 seconds to see if the substance is taken in by Xehanort some way other than ingestion."

Then, he took a deep breath, and released the substance into the air. It stayed fluid for a moment, but then it evaporated into a grey mist. Xehanort watched the grey mist disappear as it went through the air. He held his breath, the sides of his mouth twitching in anticipation. "Do I look different?" he asked, and Ansem shook his head. "Describe how you feel."

Xehanort nodded. "Strange. Detached." He added with a chuckle. Then, his smile faded. "I feel my senses becoming enhanced." He whispered. "I can hear your fingers moving. I can feel your breath traveling over and touching my face. I'm almost certain that…" then, he grinned. "Turn off the detach agent. Let me out of the chamber."

Ansem nodded, and turned off the detach machine quickly. The mist cleared, and Ansem opened the chamber. "There is none of the dosage left. This means that Xehanort took it in."

Then, he brought the camera out with him, closed the chamber, and took off his suit. He went over, just in time, to see Xehanort pick up the side of his desk, letting the papers on it slide, before he let it back down.

"Xehanort, don't be reckless!" Ansem barked, and Xehanort fell down into a chair, as if in a daze. "I was able to pick up- how many pounds was that desk?" he asked, and Ansem shrugged.

"You probably picked up 200 pounds with ease." He said, and Xehanort grinned again. "Fantastic. But it's not enough." He added, shaking his head. "I may be stronger on the outside, but what are the effects on the inside? I need to know…" he mumbled. Ansem furrowed his eyebrows. "We will return to the experimentation tomorrow. For now, you need to rest."

Xehanort nodded, and smiled. "You know, sir? I feel like something has been awakened inside of me. A new knowledge. Or a new hunger for knowledge."

Ansem left his office with conflicted emotions, and Xehanort continued to sit in the chair, pondering.

…

Laboratory lights flicked on, and Ienzo jumped up and down in excitement, running around and looking at all the contraptions with zeal. Ansem looked over at Xehanort with pride. The young man stepped forward, stunned at the new experimentation space.

"What do you think?" Ansem asked, and Xehanort's eyes became misty. "Thank you Master. This is beyond anything I could have dreamed of."

Ansem laughed, and patted his foremost apprentice on the back. Xehanort's amazing intellectual abilities had always impressed Ansem, but lately, there was something else that had mystified him about the man.

As Ansem had heightened the dose of synthesized darkness given to Xehanort, the man's senses and physical abilities had increased also. The physical effects of the substance on Xehanort had been so impressive that they were also disturbing, leading Ansem to wonder if it really was right to continue in this way.

But, Xehanort had been insistent on continuing the experiments. This time, though, with encouragement from Ienzo, Ansem constructed a laboratory for a specific purpose. To test the effects of darkness on a person's behavior, and their 'heart', and their sense of will.

At Xehanort's request, Ansem had been putting large doses of Unversed into Xehanort. At first, after being given the Unversed substance, Xehanort went into mad rages, having to be isolated. Then, after awhile he began to be able to control himself easier. But with that control came an alarming discovery. As Xehanort became more emotionally detached, the darkness inside him had multiplied. It worried Ansem. This was the first time that Ansem was going to tap into Xehanort's darkness directly, to see if it had been stirred, and if there was a way that he could triumph over it.

There was silence except for checks before the experimentation was to begin, as all 4 scientists began to set up the laboratory. A few moments later, Braig waltzed in with Aeleus, smiling. "Hey, everyone!" he said enthusiastically, and Even looked over at him with disdain. "I still can't understand why a bunch of castle guards became the great sage kings apprentices."

"Because while knowledge is important, soldiers are also needed." Ansem commented. "You understand you are all integral to this experimentation." He added, looking at them both. Then, he frowned. "Where is Dilan?"

The man mentioned stomped in, and began to help set things up, mumbling that he had been in the bathroom.

Once everything was completely set up, Ansem breathed out deeply, and instructed everyone to put on special suits, except for Xehanort, who sat down patiently in the middle of the room.

Ansem turned on the camera again, and turned back to Xehanort. "The effects of darkness on the heart. Experiment one." He said quickly. "Xehanort, I have created a specialized detach agent that will concentrate solely on the darkness inside of you. I want you to try and triumph over it, using the ways that we have previously discussed. Use your will power. Block the darkness out."

Xehanort closed his eyes, and Ansem turned on the mist machine with the detach agent inside of it. The mist came out, and Xehanort breathed in and out calmly. Then, his eyes scrunched up, as if he was trying very hard. "It's difficult, sir." He growled, as if battling within himself.

"I know that you can do it, Xehanort." Ansem said seriously. "You are strong. Try to stop it from multiplying, and block it out!"

"I can feel it growing inside of me, sir." Xehanort said in slight fear, and Ansem began to worry. "What are you thinking? Why do you think it is growing?"

"I don't know, maybe because I'm thinking about it." Xehanort tried, and began to breath quickly. "Maybe it's multiplying because I'm trying to block it out. If I just let it multiply, but tried to control it…"

"It's multiplying because you are letting it multiply!" Ansem barked, and Xehanort began to nod strangely, smiling a little bit. "It feels good, Ansem. I can control it. I'm not becoming mindless… I can still feel… I can control it…" he whispered, and Ansem watched in alarm as the young man's veins began to turn grey.

"Xehanort, stop! Block it out!" Ansem snarled cuttingly, but Xehanort just laughed with a strange excitement. "I don't know why we were so afraid of it all along. It's nothing… it feels like nothing…" his veins became darker and darker as he spoke. Ansem began to panic, and then grabbed a vile of synthesized light. Then, he injected it into Xehanort's arm.

The young man's eyes flew open, and he began to shake a little bit. He panted, and then sat back, in exhaustion. "Now you can block it out, Xehanort!" Ansem barked, and Xehanort nodded, closing his eyes again. He battled within himself, but something came over him, and his veins became lighter and lighter, until they glowed a little bit. Then, they went back to normal.

Ansem nodded happily. "Wonderful job, Xehanort." Ansem said in relief, and Xehanort furrowed his eyebrows, as they turned off the detach mist. "Sir?" he asked, and Ansem turned back to him. "What is it, Xehanort?"

Xehanort's mouth twitched up into a slight grin, and he shrugged a little bit. "I don't know. I feel so… strange. Something has changed." He added, looking at Ansem oddly.

Ansem watched as Xehanort floated out of the laboratory, and up the stairs slowly. He knew that Xehanort would want to continue the experimentation. But after this incident, they would have to be more careful.

….

Ansem sat at his desk, pondering the effects the Unversed had had on Xehanort's emotions. Was it the Unversed that had encouraged the darkness in Xehanort to grow?

"No." Ansem said to himself, shaking his head. It must have been something else. Then, it occurred to Ansem, that the Unversed was not a trigger of darkness at all.

Ansem pulled out a small journal from inside his desk, and began to write down everything that had happened that year, including the tragedy of Eraqus and his students. Then, he began to write about his own experimentation.

'_Last week, I inserted darkness inside of Xehanort for the first time. I was surprised by how in tune he already was with the darkness inside of him, evident in the fact that he could feel the darkness multiplying inside of him. The darkness was from another human, myself, but I had to let it sit for a week in order to prepare for experimentation.' _

Ansem's heart nearly stopped when he realized what might have gone wrong. When Ansem had extracted darkness from himself, and set it in a petri dish while he prepared to build laboratory space, he had been disappointed in finding that all of the darkness had died. Ansem realized that the reason for this, was because there was so much light in the atmosphere of Radiant Garden. Either the darkness in the petri dish had changed, and turned into light, or it had been destroyed.

Then, he had extracted more darkness from inside himself, and left it in neutral conditions in the petri dish. The darkness stayed the way it was. But, when Ansem put a little bit of light from the atmosphere in with the darkness in the petri dish, he had returned to find that the darkness had multiplied, and the light had been eaten away.

'_What if the new, transformed darkness was a more aggressive kind than it had been before? What if as time went on, and this new darkness was left sitting on its own to evolve, it evolved so that it became stronger?' _

Finally as Ansem looked at the journal in front of him, he found the answer. The Unversed had had nothing to do with the way the darkness had multiplied in Xehanort. The reason the darkness in Xehanort had multiplied was because it had been left to sit, and change. If this darkness grew strong enough, it could destroy the light inside of Xehanort.

If the experimentation continued, Xehanort's heart would collapse. Ansem had unwittingly created something incredibly dangerous.

Ansem quickly wrote up some more in his journal, and resolved to send it to Yen Sid as soon as possible. In the mean time, the experimentation with light and dark would have to stop.

….

Braig locked up the entrance to the castle, and patted Aeleus on the shoulder. The man frowned at him. "Where are you going? It's your guard duty tonight!"

"But I'm meeting with a friend!" Braig snickered, and Aeleus narrowed his eyes at him as the black haired man walked off. Braig pressed a button on a strap wrapped around his wrist as he moved forward, looking up at the sky with a smile. There was an almost inaudible humming noise, and Braig breathed out in deep satisfaction.

As he rounded the corner, he looked at the gleaming motorcycle that Xehanort Senior had given him for spying on Ansem's experiments. "Hello, darling!" he said brightly, patting the vehicle affectionately. Then, he hopped on, and drove towards Xehanort's expansive house on the outskirts of town.

When he got to the front gate, he showed his ID, and was let in. Then, he parked his motorcycle, showed another ID at the door, and walked in. There was a butler at the entrance, who bowed before Braig, ensuring him that Master Xehanort would be seeing him in just a moment.

The old man was up in a few moments. Braig could see that he was angry.

"What's up, old man?" Braig said cheekily, and Xehanort shot him an irritated look. "Do you have the new information?" he growled, and Braig nodded, taking out a recording device.

"Just hook this up to the computer, and you should have it all in about five minutes."

That seemed to increase Master Xehanort's spirits. He shook his head angrily. "The subject is not responding to my experiments." He growled. "He will not take in my consciousness!"

"You mean that Vanitas kid?" As Braig asked the question, Xehanort's expression darkened, and he glared at the man grimly. "Never utter those words. No one must know."

Xehanort began to walk away again, and Braig followed after him. "I'm surprised that you haven't just killed the kid yet, stopped wasting your precious time on him."

Xehanort sighed. "He may still have use. He is regaining his mental capabilities, and physically, he is doing better. He just has 'attacks'. His emotions go haywire, and he experiences intense pain. The Unversed inside him is plaguing him." He added. Braig shook his head.

"Obviously the kid wasn't meant to live that long. Why are you keeping him alive?"

Xehanort looked up, searching in his head for a response. "His body is too weak to respond to a transfer of consciousness. I should have tested the transfer technique on Vanitas before I went near Terra. I was careless. Even so" he added, smiling cruelly. "The boy needs to pay for his failure."

Braig shut his lips tightly for a moment, and then nodded to himself, looking around. "Speaking of failures, how are you dealing with the Terra fiasco?"

Xehanort was silent for a moment, and then he looked up, out of the rose window that stood above his door. "If I had have had the proper books it would have worked. But I cannot dwell on that. I must look to the future." He added, turning and pointing at Braig. "You are part of that future. What is going on in the laboratory?"

Braig shrugged. "Well, the usual. Your kid's responding to the darkness experiments, he's getting stronger and smarter, he's beginning to think like you."

Xehanort chuckled, smiling. "That is good."

Braig looked around the room a tad bit uncomfortably, and coughed a little bit. "So, how's Xemnas doing?" he asked, and Xehanort sighed. "He has decided to go back to school. Jobs are scarce at the moment. He is just trying to find his way."

The dark haired man nodded, scratching the back of his head. "Well!" he finally said, turning around. "I think that I'm going to be going now."

Xehanort continued to look out the rose window as Braig left, contemplating what he would do next.

…

There was a knock on the laboratory door, and Xehanort nearly jumped out of his skin. He quickly disposed of the substance he had been working with, just as there was a third set of knocks. When he opened the door, he smiled, and Ansem walked in with a worried glance on his face.

"What have you been doing down here, Xehanort?" Ansem asked curtly, and Xehanort pointed to a table with sets of petri dishes on it. "I was just seeing how the sample of the darkness and light were doing together."

Ansem looked at him suspiciously, and Xehanort looked back at him with a straight face. This seemed to lighten Ansem, and the man even laughed, shaking his head a little bit. "I'm sorry. I met a friend today." He commented, and Xehanort looked up in curiosity.

"Who was he?"

"He's the King of Disney Town. There was business to attend to. Maybe I shall have you talk to him one day. You would do well under his employment." Ansem added, and Xehanort looked up in surprise.

"What are you saying, professor?" he asked, a little nervously, and the man looked at him with sadness. "You are a very bright young man, and I know that as time goes by, people change and paths change. If you want to go down a different path, I encourage you to do so."

Xehanort blinked at him, and then smiled sympathetically suddenly feeling guilt. "Sir, I would not trade this job for the world. I really want to continue working with you." He said.

The two men looked at each other for a moment, and then, Ansem beamed with pride, and embraced Xehanort, patting him on the back. "You are like the son I never had." Ansem chuckled, and Xehanort smiled back at him. "Thank you sir."

Ansem nodded, and then went over to look at the samples, examining them very carefully.

"This light and darkness business is fascinating." He murmured as he put a petri dish under a special microscope that they had developed to look at the substances in question. "But I think that it will soon come to a close." He added, and Xehanort looked up in alarm. "But, we've barely started, sir!" he near shouted, and Ansem looked at him in surprise.

"When the Unversed plagued us, I began to fear that it was a predecessor to something much more sinister on the way. But, our experimentation has proven that there is really no link with the multiplying of darkness within the body, and the Unversed. The unversed are merely a trigger that unhinges emotions. We have medicines for that." Ansem added with a slight chuckle, but Xehanort began to panic inside. The young man could not just give up on something this big, because results weren't coming fast enough.

Ansem nodded to himself. "The Unversed have no correlation to darkness. I hypothesized that the Unversed was a trigger that set off darkness in the atmosphere, but now I believe that darkness and the unversed are two separate entities. I am sorry if I unwittingly led you on."

The apprentice stood quietly for a moment, suddenly enraged at the attitude of his master. "So you are just going to throw this away?" he said slowly, trying to control his voice at the same time, and Ansem nodded. "It is dangerous- especially for you. As we have experimented, this has become an obsession for you. I see it every day. I should not have injected more darkness inside of you."

Xehanort couldn't listen to any more, and went up onto the balcony, breathing in and out deeply in frustration. He couldn't believe that Ansem was dropping the experimentation on light and dark.

Before Ansem had entered the laboratory, Xehanort had been experimenting to see if there was a way of developing darkness from scratch. Now he knew that Ansem would deem that approach 'out of the question.' If they could cultivate darkness themselves, Ansem wouldn't have to extract it from another human being to experiment on it.

"But now what use is that?" he said to himself, and heard a chuckle behind him. Whipping around, he noticed Braig, leaning on the side of the wall.

"Ol' Ansem getting on your nerves again?" he asked, but Xehanort didn't reply.

"He says he's looking to the future." Braig went on, walking over to Xehanort and standing beside him. "But he's just as behind the times as every other guy out there. Well, besides us. We look to the future." He said, nodding to himself. Xehanort looked up at him with curiosity. "What do you mean?" he asked vaguely, and Braig chuckled.

"I know you've been cultivating darkness, kid. I run the security tapes. For a scientist, you're not very smart."

Xehanort's eyes nearly bugged out of his head, and he went a deep shade of red. "There are cameras down there?" he asked, and Braig nodded. This made Xehanort angry. "So much for Ansem trusting me." He spat to the ground. Braig chuckled. "Well, you gotta do what you gotta do. I support you. I won't tell him what's on the tapes. If you need to get knowledge, get it. If he won't help the people, you'll have to do it yourself."

Braig patted young Xehanort on the shoulder, and left him out on the balcony. The young man sat there briefly, thinking hard, and then, becoming tired of the environment, broke away from it, going back inside, and out of the castle gates.

He walked out and around the bustling city, looking at all the lights of the festival that was on in Radiant Garden at this time, trying to take the happiness in. Every light cast a shadow. He had to understand it!

"Out of mind." He commanded himself, but it would not leave. He went down an alleyway, enveloped by the night, and sat down on the ground, sighing. There were bursts of laughter every few seconds, and as the night wore on, youths in drunken stupor walked past and through the alleyways, nearly falling over themselves. Xehanort became disgusted quickly, and decided to exit the alleyway, when a young man came close to him, and started to push him around.

"You got any money?" the young man said, and Xehanort shook his head. The youth tried to punch at him, but Xehanort dogged quickly, and the youth smashed his hand against the wall in front of him. He cursed, held his hand close to him, and then vomited near Xehanort's feet. Just as he was about to keel over into the vomit, Xehanort saved him, and set him against the wall.

He looked down at the youth in disgust, and shook his head. He couldn't just leave the youth by himself, in the alleyway. So, he bent down close to the boy, and asked him where he lived. The boy mumbled 'the apartments down the road', and Xehanort hauled him back home, asking around where he lived. When he got the boy to the right door, the boy's mother thanked him dearly for his help.

"Do you want some money?" she asked, and Xehanort shook his head quickly as she tried to hand him a few bills. "If you don't want any money, how can we pay you back?" she said desperately, and Xehanort was about to tell her not to worry, when he thought back to what Braig said. "Well… we are doing some experimentation on light and darkness, substances within the body now, and we need subjects who will be willing-"

The woman waved him off without even listening properly, and assured Xehanort that she would make sure her son made it to the experimentation the next day. Xehanort thanked her kindly, and left.

He could feel excitement in the air as he returned to the castle, baffled at his good luck. He had Braig on his side, and probably Aeleus, too, judging by the fact that the two worked side by side. So, he had the space, and the power to experiment, and now he had the subject too. He just had to prepare.

When he got to the castle, he found out that Ansem would be going on a visit to Yen Sid the following day. Xehanort grinned as he was told this, wishing Ansem a safe trip.

Everything was falling perfectly into place. It seemed that it was fate that this experimentation should take place.

…..

As he drove down towards Ansem's castle, Braig was surprised to find a young man waiting aimlessly at the front gates to get in. He was a cute kid, skinny and sullen looking as he scratched the back of his head aimlessly.

"Hey, who are you?" Braig asked, and the kid whipped around like he had been caught doing something wrong. Then, he stood up as straight as he could. "I'm waiting for the scientist!" he said loudly, and Braig pursed his lips, shaking his head. This kid was a card. "You mean Ansem?"

"He's got long white hair and a tan. Yellow eyes." He added, and Braig thought about it for a moment, before grinning slyly, and putting his arm around the boy's shoulder. "You here for some experimentation?" he asked, and the kid nodded.

"Fantastic." Braig said calmly. "I'll show you in." The two walked through the gates, and further into the castle. As they traversed the expansive lawns, and made their way through towering halls, the boy looked around in wonder, intimidated. "Don't worry, kid. When you start getting to know this place, you'll think nothing of it."

Straightening his too short tie, the boy nodded, gulping a little bit. "What kind of experimentation is this?" he asked, and Braig shrugged. "We're studying light and dark." This made the boy laugh.

"What, are you gonna turn the lights on and off and watch my reaction?"

"Not exactly."

They made their way over to the laboratory door, where Xehanort was waiting for them. "Hello, my name is Xehanort. And yours?" he asked softly to the boy, who nodded nervously and shook his hand. "My name is Remi."

"Thank you for coming, Remi." Xehanort replied, bowing a little bit. They both went down into the basement laboratory, and the boy gasped. "This is awesome!" he said with enthusiasm, and Xehanort looked at him coolly. "Braig, could you go watch the cameras?" he asked, and Braig nodded. "I'll get Even to bug them for you."

The boy watched Braig as he went, a little confused by what he had said. "What does he mean?" the boy asked, and Xehanort chuckled. "He meant the other security guards. This is top-secret experimentation that we are doing. He's got to get the security to be on their highest guard."

At this, the boy seemed relieved, and picked up some enthusiasm as he looked around at the various instruments spread throughout the space in front of him. "So, what do I do?" he asked, and Xehanort pointed to a chair. The boy sat down, and Xehanort bent down close to him to explain.

"I shall tell you what I mean to do, now." He said, and the boy nodded. "I am an Apprentice to Ansem the wise, the great sage king, the leader of this city. Lately, the substance of darkness has been on many people's minds. They are all too fearful to pursue and find out what it really is. I am not fearful." He added, and the footsteps of Even could be heard coming down the stairs.

"Sir, everything is ready." He said, and then strutted over to Xehanort, looking around with a slightly worried glance. "Ienzo has expressed curiosity as to what has been going on down here. He wants to know what is happening, and I cannot tell him! He'll get it out of me sometime or another, and then he'll tell Ansem!" he hissed quietly, and Xehanort thought about it for a moment. "Let him come down. He's just as much of a scientist, if not more, as all the rest of us."

Even nodded, sighing, and then trudged back up the stairs to get the young scientist, Ienzo. They both came back down, the latter trying not to look as excited as he really was. Xehanort turned back to the boy, to address him again.

"I want to see if I can suppress, and amplify the darkness within your heart. In this way, I will further be able to tell whether darkness can be harnessed to a person's advantage or not." He explained. The boy looked puzzled, but he nodded slowly, trying to take it all in.

Xehanort smiled in masked excitement, and jumped up, going over and picking up a vile filled with black fluid.

"Was that the next step in Ansem's experiment?" Even asked, and Xehanort nodded. "Yes. We will finally understand."

He put the vile into a syringe, and turned the detach mist on. The boy blinked nervously as Xehanort told him to extend his hand.

"Now, I am going to insert a gram of darkness into you. That's how far we got when the experimentation was being done on me. I have developed hypotheses on how to suppress darkness. That is what we will work on today."

Xehanort took a deep breath, and injected the darkness into Remi's arm. There was a pause for a moment, and he gasped as his veins began to turn black, but it quickly disappeared, and he breathed out a sigh of relief. The detach mist was turned off, and Remi was asked how he felt.

"I feel great! I feel so strong, everything's clear!" They had him go over to the weight lifter machine. There was a large hollow cube in the middle, suspended slightly, and they entered in 500 pounds on the weight setting. There was the sound of rushing pellets falling into the cube as the weight increased to 500 pounds. Then, Remi lifted it like it was a feather, and they looked on in surprise. "Can I have more of that stuff?"

They set it to 700 pounds, and Remi found this a little harder to lift. He was ecstatic. They did a few more excersizes with him to see his sensual precision change. "This is phenomenal." Even said in wonder, and Ienzo looked back and forth from Even to Xehanort in deep excitement. Remi laughed jovially, and cracked his knuckles. "I can beat up whatever sod I want, now!" He laughed, grinning, and Xehanort chuckled. "I'd like to do one more exercise with you Remi." He said calmly, and the boy puffed out his chest, like it was a challenge.

"What is it, professor?"

Xehanort smiled. "I am going to test different ways of suppressing the darkness in your heart. We are going to try to awaken it, and then we will figure out if we can suppress it."

"Have you ever done this before, Xehanort?" Even whispered nervously, and Xehanort waved him off.

A cry came out from inside the storeroom, and everyone looked around. Ienzo rushed out, with the vials full of isolated darkness inside of them. The darkness in the vials had been multiplying rapidly as they were fed light, but recently, the growth of the darkness had slowed down.

"It's stopped." Ienzo said in disappointment, and Xehanort creased his brows in puzzlement. "What has stopped, Ienzo?"

"The darkness isn't multiplying anymore. I think it's dying. It's turning back into light."

He held up the vial, and a thin white film had formed on the top of the darkness within.

Xehanort examined the rest of the vials in horror, to find that they all had white films on top of their surfaces. "I don't understand!" he said in confusion. "The light fed to the darkness in the vials had turned into darkness. How could it turn back to light?"

Xehanort looked back at Remi, who appeared absolutely fine. His strength was still astounding. But what would happen to the experimentation when they ran out of darkness?

"Feed more light to one of the samples. See what happens."

Ienzo carefully distributed one of the vials into a small, neutral container. Then, he put a drop of light from the atmosphere in with it. Within twenty minutes, the substance was a shining white.

Xehanort thought it over, and wondered what had happened. "Obviously we haven't been cultivating darkness right. I suppose that it can't survive for long outside of the body."

A tiny thought popped into Xehanort's head, something so strange that it shocked him. If darkness didn't feed on light in the air, then what did it use to grow? Did it use light within living things?

Xehanort looked at Remi in curiosity. "Would you like to join us for dinner, Remi?" he asked, and the boy nodded, smiling hugely. "You better treat me well!" he said brightly, and Xehanort nodded. "We will."

…..

Remi had enjoyed the dinner immensely, and was sitting in the living room, looking sick as a dog. Xehanort was depressed that his experiments may soon have to end.

Suddenly, Remi began to shudder, and Xehanort looked up in lazy curiosity. "Are you alright?"

Remi shook his head, and then threw up on the floor.

"Braig!" Xehanort shouted, and Braig rushed in, sighing heavily when he saw what lay before him. "I'm not the clean up committee, Xehanort." He growled, and called in a maid to clean up the mess. They brought Remi into a bedroom, and laid him down so he could rest. His veins were becoming darker.

"I feel really weird." Remi complained, and began to scratch at the area where he had been injected with darkness.

"What is happening to him?" Braig said with a mixture of curiosity and disgust.

Remi seemed to be losing connection with the room around him. He stared blankly at everything, and breathed slower and slower.

"What the hell is going on?" Braig said. Suddenly, Even rushed into the room. "Get rid of him." He snapped, and Xehanort looked out the window in curiosity. He could see Ansem coming to the front gates.

"We can't let him out! He may be dying! I have to find out what is going wrong!" Xehanort said in a flurry.

Xehanort tried to bring Remi down to the laboratory to do some tests, but Even and Braig grabbed the boy from his arms.

"Do you mean to jeopardize the rewards brought from this experimentation, for one insignificant person?" Even asked, and Xehanort narrowed his eyes, looking at the miserable Remi, clutching his stomach and laying on the ground, gasping for breath. His veins were growing darker and darker.

Xehanort bent down close to Remi, panicking, and tried to get him to regain some control of himself. "Take the light film off of all of the darkness in the vials and put it into one container. I will inject it into Remi, and try to save him." Xehanort snapped, and Even rushed down to the laboratory.

Xehanort and Braig brought Remi down to the basement, and fashioned a little bed out of cushions for him. They set him down, and got him some water, but he threw it up quickly.

There were the sounds of laughter upstairs as Ansem entered the building. Braig looked at Xehanort sternly. "We need to leave him here, Xehanort. I know you don't want to, but we can't let Ansem see this."

Xehanort hesitated for a moment, and then nodded.

The laboratory was cleaned up in a hurry, and Ansem came in to check on what the scientists were doing. He informed them that the light and dark experiments would be wrapped up within a week, and they would have to find a way of disposing of the substances without harm to anyone or anything around them. They went up and had some desert, Ansem offering Xehanort and the rest of the assistants some crème cake that he had picked up in Twilight Town, but they all declined, their nerves still raw from what had happened just a few minutes previous.

Finally, after Ansem had retired to his office, Xehanort was able to go back down to the basement. Braig was down there already, rubbing his eyes. When he looked up at Xehanort, he pursed his lips tiredly. "He's dead." He said simply, and Xehanort breathed out in disbelief.

"What do you think happened to him, boss?" Braig asked, and Xehanort shrugged absentmindedly. "I suppose that we injected too much darkness into him. I don't understand, though. I had a gram of the darkness inserted into me, but I am still alive and well. This boy…"

"Maybe his heart wasn't as strong as yours, Xehanort." Braig tried. Xehanort looked down at the floor for a moment, and then looked back around at Braig, a new idea entering his mind. "Maybe I have been going about this wrong, Braig." He mumbled. "I need to develop a new method. I need to write out reports."

"Where are you going to put these reports?" Braig asked, and Xehanort shrugged. "I don't know. I can't put my name on them."

"Why not write them under Ansem's name?"

Xehanort shot a look at Braig. "What are you talking about?"

"Finish Ansem's reports for him." Braig responded, and Xehanort looked around nervously, as if Ansem would come into the room at any moment. "I don't know."

"Xehanort. If you complete these experiments, and are able to help people from them, Ansem will be proud of you. Maybe it will dampen the fact that you took advantage of his trust, if you let him take credit for your discoveries."

Xehanort nodded. "Yes. That sounds good."

"I'll take Remi's body out tomorrow morning." Braig mumbled. "So no one sees."

The young scientist did not know what to say, so he went back to the laboratory to think.

Xehanort went up to Ansem's office late that night, looking around for the man's reports. There were copies of the scientific data, but young Xehanort continuously looked around for the official reports, not finding any. Then, when he had just about lost hope, he noticed that there were crumpled up papers in the trashcan. He looked through them, and gasped at what he came across.

It seemed as though Ansem had only completed one report. It read:

_Much of my life has been dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge._ _That knowledge has guarded this world well. Not a soul doubts that._ _I am blessed with people's smiles and respect. But though I am called a sage, there are things I do not understand._ _I believe darkness sleeps in every heart, no matter how pure. Given the chance, the smallest drop can spread and swallow the heart. I have witnessed it many times._ _Darkness... Darkness of the heart. How is it born?_ _How does it come to affect us so?_ _As ruler of this world, I must find the answers. I must find them before the world is lost to those taken by the darkness._

Xehanort crumpled up the paper in a rage, and threw it at the wall. He paced back and forth, fuming and trying to calm down. Ansem had known more about darkness then he had let on. He had never told Xehanort that darkness, in a way, 'slept', until it 'awakened', and swallowed the heart.

"Coward." Xehanort growled to himself, and then paused for a moment, before rushing down to the library. He began the second Ansem report, trying to think of what to write. Then, he began.

_It is my duty to expose what this darkness really is. I shall conduct the following experiments:_

_Extract the darkness from a person's heart._

_Cultivate darkness in a pure heart._

_Both suppress and amplify the darkness within._

He would have to wait to see what had happened to Remi before he finished his report. He wondered where he could find a pure heart. Xehanort's father used to tell him stories about the Key Blade War, and the 7 princesses of light, beings whose hearts were filled completely with light.

Obviously, to suppress darkness, it had to be put back to sleep. To amplify it, it had to be awakened. Extracting darkness would be easy.

Cultivating darkness by feeding it light in the air had not worked. But, if Xehanort fed the darkness light from inside a human being, it might work. And the seven princesses of heart had hearts filled with light. It would be perfect.

But where could he find a pure heart? He scratched the back of his head. He would have to develop a way of telling how much darkness a person had inside of them.

Xehanort remembered the way that Remi had died during the experimentation. He would have to be more careful next time. Xehanort decided to go down to the basement, to see the body one more time, and when he got down the stairs; he immediately felt a strange chill go through him. He could tell that there was a terrible darkness down there.

He looked quickly into the room where the body had been, and was surprised to find that it was gone. Braig must have decided to dispose of it early.

As Xehanort went up the stairs, the feeling of darkness slowly disappeared. Recently, Xehanort had possessed abilities strange to him. He could sense when someone had an abnormally high or low amount of darkness in them, because something inside of him responded. He wondered if the darkness inside him had been 'awakened'.

…

Kairi sat in her little room, looking down at the little necklace that she always wore. Her grandmother had always playfully asked her where she had gotten it, but Kairi would not tell her. She felt like it was her duty to keep it a secret. A beautiful woman with blue short hair had given it to her one day, and Kairi had always wondered who the mysterious lady was. She had carried around a strange blade, and she rode on a motorcycle. That was all Kairi knew. She often dreamed about the beautiful woman coming back, and telling her that she was her mother, and then the blue haired woman could live with her and her grandmother.

There was a knock on the door, and Kairi let the necklace drop into her dress, hidden from view. Kairi's grandmother walked in, and sat beside Kairi on her bed. "Are you ready for school, sweetie?" she asked, and Kairi nodded absentmindedly.

"Then, let's get those shoes on." The old woman added, patting Kairi's knee. Then, she got up, and searched around for Kairi's little slip on shoes.

"Grandma?" Kairi said quietly, and the woman looked up at her. "Why did my parents go?" she asked, and Kairi's grandmother looked down at her sadly, giving her a tight hug. "Well, Kairi, they didn't _mean _to go. They didn't necessarily _want _to go. But they did."

Kairi remembered that they had gone on a trip somewhere, but they hadn't come back. There had been a war there.

"But they still love you, and always will." Her grandmother added, hugging her again. Kairi smiled. "A smile makes things better." She tried, and her grandmother laughed quietly, nodding with moist eyes. "That's right, little girl!"

She took Kairi by the hand, and led her out of her room, and then down the stairs. Kairi slipped on her shoes, and then they were off to school.

As Kairi walked by the castle, she noticed a very tanned, silver haired young man looking over the balcony, taking in the morning air. Kairi stared up at him, and then, he looked down at her lazily. They met eyes, and held each other's gaze for a moment. As the man tried to look at her more closely, leaning over the balcony a little bit, Kairi hid behind her grandmother.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" the old woman asked, and Kairi nuzzled her face into the woman's leg. "I don't want to be late." She mumbled, and the old woman laughed heartily, picking up the pace a little bit so they would get to school early.

Xehanort continued to watch the young girl as she walked down the road, and put his hand to his chest. He had felt his heart skip a beat as the young girl looked at him. She seemed to radiate something. Then, he gasped, thinking. Something inside him was telling him that she was one of the pure hearts his father had told him about before. He didn't know how he knew this, but he did. He needed her.

It had now been a month since Xehanort had begun the experimentation. He had devised a way to tell the strength of the light, or the darkness inside a person, along with how much light or darkness was actually in the person. No matter how strong or filled with light a person's heart had been, they eventually succumbed to the darkness. Braig had been disposing of the bodies regularly.

Besides Xehanort's new ability to sense darkness and light within a person, he felt more and more disconnected with his emotions. His sense of empathy had decreased. All he cared about was the next experiment. If a few more people, died, it was no major loss. The gain would make up for it. It was disheartening to know that all of the people experimented on fell to the darkness. They had been picking up people from all over, to allay any suspicion. But now, they had begun to merely take people who happened to be traversing the streets late at night. It was their own fault that they were out after hours, not being able to protect themselves.

He would have to tell Dilan about the young girl. He needed her to cultivate darkness in a pure heart.

Xehanort worked in the laboratory until late into the night, with the rest of the scientists and a few of the assistants. Braig would give warning when Ansem was coming down to check on them, and they had assumed new, backup studies. The experimentation on darkness and light was supposed to have officially 'ended', but Ansem did not know what they were doing. He thought they were testing new chemicals that could be used for protecting materials from eroding.

When they all finally finished, Braig and Xehanort stayed behind in the laboratory while everyone else retired to their rooms.

Braig sucked in a deep breath, and then looked at Xehanort coolly. "Well. We are heartless, aren't we?" Xehanort chuckled, shrugging. "I don't know. It doesn't matter now. I feel like we are getting close to solving the answer."

"How is that?"

"I just feel it." Xehanort replied, chuckling a little bit as he remembered something. "I thank you for your quick disposal of the bodies."

Braig's smile faded, and he looked puzzled. "I thought that Aeleus had done it, or Dilan."

Xehanort shook his head. Braig quickly went over to ask the other apprentices if they had disposed of the bodies, but they all said that they had not. By this point, Xehanort began to panic slightly.

He rushed down to the basement, and Braig followed behind him. "Xehanort, be careful down there!" he snapped, but Xehanort ignored him.

When he got down the stairs, he sensed a huge amount of darkness lay deep in the basement. He searched through the rooms, and then came upon one last door, which was usually locked. The maid's cleaning utensils were lined up outside of the room, which was strange.

Xehanort gently opened the door, and Braig came down beside him, holding a flashlight. Then they both gasped at what they saw.

Up to fifteen creatures were huddled in that room, peering out with yellow eyes at Xehanort and Braig. There was a pause for a moment, before Xehanort quickly shut the door on the creatures just as they began to rush at it. There was the sound of pounding bodies on the door, and then scratching for a while, before it finally died down again. Braig looked at Xehanort in slight fear. "What the hell were those things?" he asked, but Xehanort was at a loss for words. He didn't know what the things were either.

He simply went back up the stairs, and into the library. He retrieved the report he had been writing under Ansem's name, and went on to finish it.

'_It is my duty to expose what this darkness really is. I shall conduct the following experiments:_

_Extract the darkness from a person's heart._

_Cultivate darkness in a pure heart._

_Both suppress and amplify the darkness within._

_The experiments caused the test subject's heart to collapse, including those of the most stalwart. How fragile our hearts are! My treatment produced no signs of recovery. I confined those who had completely lost their hearts beneath the castle._

_Some time later, I went below and was greeted by the strangest sight. Creatures that seemed born of darkness...What are they? Are they truly sentient beings? Could they be the shadows of those who lost their hearts in my experiments?'_

Xehanort went back down into the basement with a drill, and found Braig sitting on the bottom step. Xehanort quickly went past him, and drilled a hole in the door, shining Braig's flashlight through it, and looked inside. The creatures' blank yellow eyes shone back at him.

"Get me some light, Braig." Xehanort said, and Braig shrugged, going back up to the library and telling Even to extract some light from the air quickly. The older scientist rushed down to Xehanort, who dropped the vial of light through the hole in the door, sending it to the ground inside of the room. The creatures looked at it blankly, but did not touch it. Xehanort was confused. "I thought that they would feed on light." He mumbled, and then he thought of something.

"I need a human." He mumbled, and Even looked at him gravely. "Get me a few. Tell Dilan to get some. I need them right now."

Even nodded, and went up to Dilan. Within thirty minutes, he and Aeleus were back with three unconscious victims. Xehanort instructed them to put the people inside the room with the creatures. Xehanort watched carefully to see what would happen.

The creatures looked down at the sleeping humans, and began to look at each other. Then, they swarmed around on top of the people. Xehanort couldn't see anything that was happening until the monsters moved back away from the victims, satisfied with whatever they had taken. Xehanort could sense that the monsters had eaten all of the light within the humans. It was fascinating, yet gruesome.

"Our studies are going to take a new direction. I need to know what these creatures are." He said coldly, turning around with a slight grin. "Think about it. If we get control of these monsters, we'll be able to change the world!" he started to say, and the other scientists looked at each other, and then back at Xehanort. "We can control the deepest recesses of a person's being! This is important that I make sure all of you are on my side!" he added. Everyone looked at each other again, and then nodded. "We are." They said gravely, and Xehanort nodded, excited.

"Alright. I'll need food for them, or they'll die. They need living samples to feed on. I need more people." He said.

He thought about the girl with the pure heart. If the light inside of her regenerated after some of it was extracted, then she could serve as an everlasting meal for the creatures. They wouldn't have to sacrifice any more townspeople.

"I need that girl." He whispered to himself, and watched as Dilan stole out into the night, to find more people.

….

Ansem sat in his office, reading the city paper. His city was regarded as the Capitol of Light, but of late, people had been disappearing. At first, it had been outskirt districts that resided outside the protective gates of the city, where crime was abundant. But now, there were disappearances in the town, and they seemed completely random. But it worried Ansem.

He turned to the crime section, and his heart nearly stopped.

'_Counting together the disappearances in town, and the ones on the outskirts, as many as twenty people have disappeared this week, and counting.' _

Ansem made a call for a town broadcast as soon as possible. Then, he went into what he called the 'other conference room' where he filmed emergency messages that reached every TV and radio in the city, interrupting whatever program was on already.

He sat down in his chair, and rubbed his eyes tiredly. Then, he pressed the record button, and looked up at the camera.

"This is an emergency message from your king, Ansem the Wise. I am speaking with you on behalf of the amount of disappearances that have been going on of late. I am deeply worried for all of my people's sakes. I will be instigating a temporary curfew for every within this cities gates. No one is to out of his or her home past 8 o'clock. I will send police forces to patrol the outskirts, also. We will find out who is instigating these heinous crimes, and we will have your lost family members back to you as soon as we can." He finished strongly. Then, he tried to smile. "I promise." He finished, and shut the camera off.

…..

King Mickey shifted back and forth on his feet outside the doors of Ansem's castle, whistling a little bit. It had been about a year since he had been here last. He wondered how the little girl, Kairi, who he had seen before, was doing. Suddenly, he was aware of women walking past him, gossiping about something.

"How could one person on the outskirts be the cause of over forty people going missing? It has to be _him_."

"But he's supposed to be our king! He can't do that!"

"Look at what Eraqus did to the Land of Departure! I'm telling you, it's happening."

Mickey watched nervously as the two women walked off, wondering if they were talking about Ansem. Then, there was the sound of unlocking, and a castle guard opened the door, and bowed before him. "Ansem awaits you in his study." The guard said, and Mickey nodded.

He followed the guard through the castle, and into Ansem's room of repose. The man sat at his desk, with his head in his hands. Mickey looked at his friend with a broken heart.

"Hey, old sage!" Mickey tried to say happily, and Ansem looked up at him in surprise, sitting up straighter. The sage king laughed in discomfort. "I'm sorry you had to see that, king Mickey." Ansem mumbled, but Mickey waved him off. Ansem beckoned for Mickey to sit at a small coffee table in the adjacent room, and they both sat down, lounging back in their chairs tiredly.

"How is Disney City?" Ansem asked, and Mickey shrugged. "We're doing just fine. And you?"

Ansem pursed his lips, and closed his eyes. "You must have heard some bit of news as you came through here." Ansem chuckled, and Mickey sighed. "I heard there were some disappearances."

"How many?" Ansem inquired, and Mickey looked down at his hands. "Forty."

"Actually, it's closer to fifty now." He muttered. Mickey's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"The people think that I am doing it." Ansem murmured, rubbing at his eyes violently. Mickey couldn't think of what to say to allay the situation.

"Well, the Investigation Bureau in the Land of Departure is well on its way to being built. We've got building permits, permits from the board, of course you knew that already, and any other thing we need to get started. We're interviewing countless gifted investigators from all over the region to see if they can come work for us. It's going to be great, Ansem. If we all work together, nothing can tear us down."

Ansem nodded to himself, and then smiled at Mickey. "You are in many ways wiser than I could ever be. You have become a good friend over the course of the time that we have been spending together."

Mickey smiled, and then they both got onto talking about Ansem's assistants.

Ansem smiled as he thought of Xehanort. "Actually, there is one in particular that I would like for you to meet. Very bright boy, you'll like him. His only flaw is that he is the son of the old Xehanort."

Mickey chuckled. "I would be very happy to see him."

Ansem called Xehanort in from the laboratory, and the boy came up with a cool yet curious look on his face. He and Mickey shook hands, and then the three of them sat down and began to talk.

…

Xehanort heard Ansem calling his name, and he pulled aside Braig quickly.

"I want you to get that girl for me, tomorrow night." He said quickly, and Braig nodded. Xehanort had pointed the girl out to him before, and told him about what he thought she was.

That night, they would retrieve the girl. Then, further experimentation would begin. Xehanort wondered if he could use the girl as bait to get the heartless- the name he had given the monsters- to follow him.

His emotions were becoming more disjointed as he spent more time around the heartless. There was a huge amount of darkness in the air wherever they went, and Xehanort wondered if he was taking it in. If so, it wasn't affecting him. He thought on the idea that he could be invincible to the darkness with slight pride.

"Coming, Ansem." He called up from the laboratory, and then went upstairs, to meet the guest that Ansem had brought in. It was the King of Disney City, and he seemed to have many interesting things to say.

The next day, King Mickey returned to Disney City, and that night, Braig stole out of the castle with Dilan, to retrieve the girl with the pure heart.

…..

Ansem thought about his visit with King Mickey. The king had warned him to keep a close eye on his apprentices. He decided that he would pay a surprise visit to the laboratory. He traversed down into it, as silently as he could, and found that it was empty. He wondered where everyone had gone.

Then, he poked around inside of the place, seeing what progress his scientists had made with the erosion chemical. What he found instead broke his heart, and enraged him.

There were 9 reports, all written under his own name. But only one was his. Someone else wrote the rest. He picked up a few sub-reports, reading with horror what experimentation had been going on inside the walls surrounding him. Just as Ansem finished, there was a voice from behind him.

"Ansem? What are you reading?" Xehanort asked, and Ansem turned around to look at him, deeply enraged. "This is what I am looking at, you disgusting fool!" Ansem roared, and Xehanort backed away in horror, realizing his fate. "Sir, I was just trying to find out-"

Ansem threw the reports to the ground, charging over to Xehanort. "I trusted you! I should have never put that darkness into you, it has made you into a monster!" he hissed.

Then, he looked at the laboratory, and nodded to himself. "I want it torn down." He murmured, and Xehanort looked at him in horror. "What?" he said blankly, and Ansem looked at him in deep anger. "You heard me, Xehanort, I want it torn down! This whole laboratory, all the experiments cease now!"

Xehanort looked at Ansem with narrowed eyes for a moment, and then shook his head. "I can't do that, Ansem." He murmured, and Ansem looked at him in disbelief. "What?"

Xehanort noticed Dilan walking through the door, with a frown on his face. When Dilan noticed Ansem, he stopped cold, but then inched over to Ansem until he was right behind him. Ansem didn't even see him coming.

"I said no." Xehanort replied simply, and Dilan slammed his fist down onto Ansem's head, knocking the man out.

Braig ran in after Dilan, and looked down at Ansem with a chuckle. "Wow." He said simply, and then looked over to Xehanort. "What next?"

"Did you find the girl?"

Dilan nodded, and beckoned for Xehanort to come upstairs. Kairi was lying in a chair, fast asleep. Braig shook his head. "The grandma got in the way, so we had to bring her along, too. She'll be a fast meal for the heartless."

Dilan lugged Kairi's grandmother down the stairs and into the basement, and came back up after he had disposed of her. "Problem taken care of." He said simply, and Kairi began to stir as if she was having a nightmare.

Suddenly, Even rushed into the room, flailing his arms about. His eyes looked like balls of fire, as he suddenly lunged at Dilan. "You idiot!" he screeched, and Dilan shoved him back quickly.

"What is going on now?" Xehanort shouted, and Even pointed towards the window. "They saw him taking the girl!"

Xehanort rushed over to the windows, and gasped at what he saw. An angry mob of townspeople were bashing on the doors into the castle, trying to get in.

Xehanort took one look at them, and then rushed back towards the rest of the scientists. "They're all around the castle."

Then, they heard sirens. It was police forces from neighboring cities.

"We won't get out unless we create a distraction." Xehanort said weakly, and then Even fell to the ground, going unconscious. "What do we do?" Braig asked, and Xehanort looked at him with wild eyes.

"You all try to find a way out, and I will let out the heartless. I'll join you as soon as I have let them out on the town."

Even, Dilan, and Aeleus, who had just come down with Ienzo, all nodded, and went towards the door, to open it.

Xehanort rushed down to the laboratory, picking up a few of his things, including the large cage used to hold heartless that were being experimented on. Then, he dialed his father, to enlist his help.

As Xehanort waited for the number to dial, Braig went over to him, folding his arms over his chest. "I already called him, Xehanort. He knows everything." He said simply, and Xehanort gaped at him. "You mean he knows everything that has been going on?"

Braig shrugged. "He's an old friend. He just wanted someone to tell him how you were doing." Then, Braig stretched. "Now, are we going to get out the secret back entrance or not?"

"What do you mean?" Xehanort said in bottled rage, and Braig chuckled. "I know that the others believed that stupid battle plan of yours, to 'go for the doors'. They won't make it out without getting arrested or trampled by the townspeople. But this way, you'll be able to get out."

"Where's the girl?" Xehanort hissed as they went down the stairs to the basement. Braig rolled his eyes. "Let her go. If we get out, we can get another one."

Xehanort unlocked the room that the heartless were in, and prepared to open the door. Braig grinned at him a little bit. "How do you know they won't attack us when you open the door?"

"I have a distraction." Xehanort said simply, returning the grin that Braig had given him.

At first, Braig didn't understand, but then, his reflexes began to work, going into a defensive position. But, Xehanort was too fast. He slashed Braig in his good eye with a blade he had hidden in his jacket. Braig fell to the ground with a moan, and began to grope around, holding his bleeding eye, as Xehanort opened the door that held the heartless behind them. They all swarmed around Braig, and Xehanort grabbed one, hauling it into the cage he had waiting. He did so with incredible speed, before he hauled the cage out of the back entrance, shutting the exit door behind him before any other heartless could follow.

Xehanort bit his fist, as he remembered the incredible contraption he had been close to finishing. He would have to leave it behind now. It was a machine that created heartless from scratch. "Dammit!" he growled to himself, and heard a chuckle behind him.

Young Xehanort's father stood at a distance, with a sleek black car waiting for him. "How are you, Junior?" he asked, and young Xehanort tried not to shout at him. "Don't call me that." He said in a low voice, and Master Xehanort chuckled.

"I knew you'd come around to my train of thought, son. Braig was telling me that the heartless you created have no emotion. I think that might help with my problem."

"What do you mean?" Young Xehanort asked, and his father beckoned for him to follow.

"You'll see." Master Xehanort said quietly. "First, we'll get you cleaned up. You look like you've had a long day. Then, you can see if my laboratory will be suitable to your needs. There is a boy I know, who I would like you to meet."

…

Kairi ran down the road, sobbing uncontrollably. She ran as fast as she could. She had managed to sneak out of the castle, and away from the black monsters that were attacking the other townspeople. She could not find her grandmother.

"Grandma!" she screamed through choked sobs. "Grandma!"

She made it to the gates leading to the outskirts of Radiant Garden, staying close to the river that fed into the fountains and streams in her town. As Kairi looked back, she noticed the sky becoming blacker and blacker above her home.

As the lights of Radiant Garden became farther and farther away, the river Kairi was running beside flowed faster and faster. She felt as though something was following her, so she decided to run straight into the river, being careful to stay on the rocks so it would not take her. She looked back at the shore beside the river, and noticed a huddle of the black monsters forming at its banks. They looked at her hungrily, but seemed hesitant about stepping into the river. Kairi shivered, and cried as she sat on a rock in the middle of the river.

The black monsters did not seem fazed. It was as if they were waiting for Kairi to come back to them. More and more began to come to the riverbank, and Kairi became colder and colder as the temperature dropped. She could see fires billowing up in Radiant Garden. It seemed as if the world was ending.

Kairi suddenly felt herself slipping out of consciousness, and she fell into the river. It carried her down, and she tried to regain consciousness and grab onto something, but the water was freezing. There was an old wooden caravan that had long ago capsized into the side of the river. Kairi grabbed onto some of the wood on it, but it was weak, and quickly broke off, sending Kairi further downstream. She lay down on top of the plank of wood, feeling herself falling asleep again. She let her eyes close, and sank into a strange dream.

There was a dark mist surrounding her, and she called out for her grandmother, and then her parents. Someone was coming out of the mist. Kairi touched the necklace that the blue haired woman had given her, feeling scared.

The person came out in front of her, and then bent down before her, patting her head. It was the blue haired girl.

"What are you doing so scared, Kairi?" she asked lovingly, and Kairi hugged her, and cried. The girl hugged her back, and then set Kairi in front of her. "Kairi. Bad things are happening, but I need you to be strong. You'll be alright."

Kairi nodded, and watched as the woman waved to her and disappeared.

…

The Hollow Bastion Massacre had shocked the world. Thirteen reports were found, among others, detailing extremely unethical experiments carried out by the king, Ansem the Wise, and his apprentices.

Master Xehanort had been kind enough to call in some of Shinra's top soldiers to help take care of the 'heartless', as Ansem had aptly named the creatures he created, in his reports. Ansem had disappeared, along with his head assistant, Master Xehanort's son. Master Xehanort had given a speech at a huge board meeting, and then to the rest of the region, about how he was heart broken, and was preparing the process of disowning his eldest son. In the back of the crowd listening to Xehanort's speech, was a boy of about 10 years old, who looked like he could be sixteen. He had jet-black hair, tan skin, and yellow eyes, hidden underneath sunglasses, and a black cap. The source of the Unversed, his extreme emotional fits had been quelled by routine injections of heartless 'venom'. Not long after Vanitas' first injection of heartless Venom, Ventus began to experience the hallucinations and emotional fits that had previously plagued Vanitas.

Yen Sid retired from the public eye, and the board. The Investigation Bureau was fully created and functional.

Two castle guards, Aeleus and Dilan, were arrested. The other two scientists, Even and Ienzo, and one other guard, Braig, were not found. They were assumed to have been infected by the heartless.

All of the people in question had families who were deeply affected. Even and Ienzo had twin brothers, Vexen and Zexion. Dilan's nephew, Xaldin, looked up to him, and was shocked by what happened. Aeleus had a young son named Lexaeus. His other son was turned into a heartless, and had to be 'put down', as the Shinra SOLDIERS had put it, along with all of the other people who had turned into heartless. Though many had been captured, some heartless had still gotten away.

It was later found that Braig had had a son by a woman in the outskirts. The boy's name was Xigbar.

And the young princess of heart, Kairi, floated on to Destiny Islands, where two local boys, Sora and Riku, found her on the beach. The mayor and his wife adopted her.

Xemnas alone knew what had really happened to his brother. He knew everything, but he did not say a word.


	18. Return

**Sorry this chapter is coming so late, I have been so busy these past weeks that I hardly had time to write at all. But, here it is now!**

Lightning closed the journal she had been reading, and looked up at Yen Sid blankly. He stared back at her, as if looking into her soul. She did not know what to do.

"Wow." She said simply, and set the strange diaries down in front of Yen Sid again, as if they were extremely delicate. She rubbed at her eyes, tired from reading.

"That includes copied excerpts from the journals of the great Eraqus, and Ansem. Aqua has recently deposited hers into my hands. Castle Oblivion may well be torn down, unless she reveals her identity to the world again." Yen Sid said, and Lightning furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean, sir?" she asked. Yen Sid sighed. "A mysterious package was left on my doorstep several weeks ago, without an addressee. I knew immediately that it was Aqua. Why she is hiding herself, I cannot tell."

"Is she one of the apprentices in Eraqus' journal?" Lightning gasped, and Yen Sid nodded. "But she must be protected. I do not know where she is yet, but as long as she is near Xehanort, she is in danger."

Lightning looked back down at the journals. Eraqus' never explicitly stated that Xehanort was guilty of any crime. Eraqus had just pondered on suspicions he had about his old friend. The journal stopped abruptly, when Eraqus heard his apprentice returning. But he had not said which one had returned.

Ansem's journal went on after he was banished. Again, _Master_ Xehanort's guilt was never explicitly stated.

She remembered the little girl that Xehanort Jr. had talked about in his reports, when he masqueraded as Ansem the Wise. He never stated her name.

The people she needed to talk to the most were Eraqus' three apprentices, and King Mickey.

"Do you know what happened to Terra, and Ventus?" Lightning asked, and Yen Sid chuckled sadly. "Ventus lives in Twilight Town, now. Terra disappeared years ago. He was never found. But, I assume that he is gone."

"How do you know if you have not proof?" Lightning asked. Yen Sid pursed his lips, and looked down at his hands. "When one becomes a successor, like I after my master, and like Eraqus, they are entitled to certain knowledge. With that knowledge comes a new sense of being. One of the stars in the sky blinked out when he died."

Lightning looked out the window when Yen Sid said this, without thinking about it, and looked out at the stars in the sky.

"You know Ansem's secret reports?" Lightning asked, and Yen Sid nodded. "They talked about a girl named Namine. Is she one of the seven princesses of light, too?"

Yen Sid paused, trying to elaborate. "I think every region has its own version of light. For the Planet, it might be the Life stream. It is everywhere, in different shapes and forms. So is darkness. Perhaps Namine is a princess of heart, in her own way."

Lightning waited for Yen Sid to elaborate again, but he just sat back in reverie.

"Yen Sid, why did Ansem say that Namine's light was unstable? Why did he say that she was a shadow of the girl, Kairi?"

Yen Sid pursed his lips, thinking about it. "Namine was adopted by Organization Thirteen. They noticed that she had only light inside her already, but the light was strange, different than that of the Seven Princesses of heart. Instead of destroying darkness, it was able to stay separate from it, coexisting with it. The light from Sora and Kairi were put into Namine, and she was able to affect Sora's memories through this connection."

"That is so strange." Lightning said in fascination, and Yen Sid shrugged. "Ansem believed that Namine had been born a neutral being, and only had light within her because it was put into her from Kairi. But Namine was always filled with light. She is definitely special." He added, chuckling. "Namine's light seems to be a more evolved version of Kairi's light, as the darkness in Vanitas is an evolved form of Ventus' darkness."

At this, Lightning remembered the part about the masked boy.

"Ah, him." Yen Sid chuckled. "The one blamed for all the trouble that happened at that time. I am beginning to believe that he never died, that he has resurfaced recently." He added. Lightning whipped her head up at this, and met eyes with Yen Sid, who was grinning slightly. "Isn't that what you wanted to know?" he asked, and Lightning nodded.

"I know he is still alive." She said, and quickly showed Yen Sid the pictures she had acquired. Yen Sid sighed, shaking his head. "There have been old, old stories of beings created completely from darkness. They have never been able to survive. Even though I feel that he is alive, I don't see how this could have survived for so long, with such instability…" Yen Sid seemed to ponder it, then, his eyes clouded, and looked down at the journal again, skimming its pages.

Abruptly, the old retired Master stood up, and went towards the window, looking out of it, and up at the sky. "Go find Ventus." He asked quietly. "I am sure that where you find him, you will find answers."

Lightning nodded, and left.

…..

Reno waited impatiently near the crime scene at Sora's house, shuffling back and forth on the balls of his feet. Everything that had happened to him in the past few weeks had humbled him considerably. His parents had always lauded him for being the best and 'brightest' in the family, and he was finally beginning to realize that he wasn't as great as he originally thought he was.

In exactly a month, he would be moving to Nibelhiem to take the job of head customs officer at the airport there. It was a humiliating downgrade. And, Reno was beginning to feel shut out by his younger brother, Lea.

Reno already knew that Lea probably would not be extremely happy, living in a poor, rural town like Nibelhiem. Its history made the place depressing in and of itself. But, recent events had led Reno to wonder if something had happened to Lea.

He had called Lea and Axel to see how they were doing, and to make up for the previous call, when he had taken his circumstances out on Lea, getting angry with the kid. In the recent call, he'd asked Lea if he was still up for moving, and the kid said no. It was a bit of a shock. Lea hadn't been mean about it, he just said he was getting more involved where he was, now.

At first Reno had deduced that it was because of the job, and that near broke him to pieces. But, then he began to think that something had happened to Lea. The kid didn't sound as depressed as he usually did before across the phone- he sounded more grown up. Axel had told Reno that Lea was getting really involved in sports, he was playing fruitball and he'd started to look into the blitzball team in Destiny Islands, but Reno suspected that that was an effect of change, rather than the cause. Reno wondered what had changed.

Reno had in addition begun to look into houses in Nibelhiem, which was also a depressing activity. They were all tiny, and beat up from the Nibelhiem Incident- which was now public knowledge. They also had unique problems. Some of them didn't even have plumbing. Reno began to wonder if he could live in the airport hotel on the outskirts.

Sora's father came over to him, and Reno anticipated a 'why are you here' from the head of the bureau, so Reno decided that he'd beat the man to the punch. "Waiting for Lightning." He mumbled, and Sora's father nodded, walking away. Lightning was supposed to be there a while ago. Reno wondered where she was.

Suddenly, as if a beacon of light shone down from the sky, Reno's face lit up, and he ran over to Lightning giddily. He saw slight pity in her look, but it was also coupled with something that wasn't easily analyzed. Was it… affection?

"You look terrible, Reno." She said bluntly. Reno's shoulders sagged, and he shook his head. "I don't care anymore."

"Have you been going to work lately?"

"Yeah."

"With a massive hangover?"

"Yeah." Reno chuckled weakly. "I'm kind of pissy. The guys hate me now."

"They're probably just sad to see you leave. How is Max doing?"

Reno sighed. "He's back home. They decided to give him a bit of a vacation. He'll probably be the one taking my job."

Lightning couldn't stand the way Reno was rolling over and giving up. He usually held onto something for dear life until it slipped out of his grasp. Where was his undaunted optimism?

"Maybe if you had have been more serious, stuff like this wouldn't have happened!" Lightning hissed, and Reno gritted his teeth. "You think I don't know that?" he snapped. "It's with me every day." He tried to walk off, but Lightning grabbed him by the arm. "If you won't help your damn self, I will. You'll be by my side twenty four seven. Whatever I come up with, will be all yours."

Reno shook his head, standing planted in the ground. "No way. I'm shit. May as well accept it. I don't want you covering it up for me. Those guys deserve a better boss than me." He added, but Lightning grabbed him by the coat collar, and pulled him towards her until they were nose to nose. She looked pretty scary. "Listen, dumbass." She snarled. "You will not roll over and take this customs job. I know that you're better than that. Even though you come off as an idiot to everyone else, I see something in you that's intelligent."

Reno was flattered, and nodded slowly. "Well… I guess I could… go out with a bang, or, something of that nature…" he mumbled shyly, and Lightning suddenly got the urge to kiss him. She slapped that feeling down, though, the minute it entered her mind.

Sora's father came over, to speak to her, shutting out Reno a little bit without realizing it. Lightning pulled Reno beside her so he could be included. Sora's father was a bit surprised, but he quickly went on explaining to both of them.

"At 5:35 last night, my son was severely beaten, and we suspect, nearly killed, by a shadowed figure. He looked as if he was dressed completely in black, but Sora has told me that he saw some reds through the boy's suit. He came in through Sora's window, and attacked Sora, throwing him out the window. Then, the masked boy beat Sora continuously, with blows to the head, and to the stomach and chest. He attempted to kill Sora by slitting his throat with a small knife, but I shot at him before he could do it, and he disappeared."

Lightning stopped Sora's father abruptly, looking at him blankly. "What did you say?"

"I said that he attempted to kill Sora by-"

"No, before that, you called him a name." she cut in, and he thought about it. "The masked boy?" he asked, and then his jaw dropped, and his eyes went like saucers. "You don't think that it could be him?" he asked urgently, and Lightning shrugged. "He'd fit the description, right?"

Sora's father looked hesitant. "Yen Sid informed me that he had a feeling that the masked boy had returned." Lightning added, and Sora's father looked at her strangely. Then, he nodded, sternly looking ahead. "Right. We need to speak with Yen Sid on these matters."

Suddenly, there was a ringing sound, and Sora's father pulled out his phone, answering it. "Hello?" he said sternly, and then his expression became increasingly perturbed. "Of course. We'll be there right away." He added, and clicked the phone off.

"What's wrong?" Lightning asked seriously. "Kairi's been found. She's in a hotel in the City That Never Was."

Lightning nodded, her heart pounding loudly in her chest. If she could just find Bertrand, she could nab Xehanort.

They all filed into an IB car nearby, and drove down the back lanes, down towards the City. They eventually reached the hotel, and outside, they had the man in handcuffs. Kairi was sitting, huddled in a blanket nearby. She looked ahead blankly, and confused.

The man was screaming, saying he didn't know what the hell was going on. His rights were being read to him as Sora's father, Lightning, and Reno walked up to him.

"What's going on?" he croaked at them, and they put him into a car. "You're going to the police station." Sora's father said simply, before closing the car door, and watching it as it drove off.

First, they all looked around the crime scene. A motorcycle was found that was undeniably owned by him. "This is one fancy machine." Sora's dad said, eyeing the contraption. "Its design is strange. It's like it was specially made for him."

"That's not too far fetched." One of the investigators called from behind. Everyone looked around, and the man brought out the suspect's wallet, and papers with information on it. "He's a big time entrepreneur from Cocoon. I'd say that he could very well afford a thing like this, custom made for him."

Sora's father nodded, and they inspected the motorcycle again, noticing that there was no manufacturer's label on the motorcycle, or on its parts.

"Well, I guess that we'll just have to go to the police station." Sora's father said, and the people around nodded. They all piled back into the car, and went over to the police station in the City That Never was, with the pictures and evidence from the crime scene, to question Kairi and the man.

When they got into the interrogation room, the man was staring at the grey wall in front of him with a depressed look.

He was tired, and it was apparent that he had a hangover. He rubbed his face, scrunching his eyes up, before sighing audibly.

"Where were you between the hours of 6 o'clock pm and 10 o'clock pm?" Lightning questioned sternly, and the man shrugged. "I don't know. I can hardly remember anything that happened last night." The man said groggily. Lightning narrowed her eyes at him, and sighed. "You were already drunk by 6 o'clock?"

"Well… I can't remember!" he complained. Reno was standing near Lightning. "What can you remember?" Reno asked, and the man looked at him blankly.

"I remember being in my hotel room. Then, I went out for a walk. This guy came up to me, good looking. He asked me if I'd like to go to a party with him, and I said sure." He blubbered. "Then, I can't remember after that. I woke up in my hotel room with this stranger chick lying beside me!"

Lightning scratched the back of her head. The man seemed so genuine, but the story obviously didn't add up with the circumstances surrounding Kairi's disappearance.

"Do you remember what the man who asked you to the party looked like?" Lightning asked, and the man shook his head. "No. I just remember that he was good looking."

"Did you have previous relations with the girl found with you?" Lightning asked, and the man snorted. "I don't even know who this chick is! I was just as surprised as her when I woke up beside her."

"You fit the description of a man that climbed out of her window with her last night. A neighbor said that she looked like she was staggering."

"Maybe she was drunk!" the guy tried. Lightning sat back in frustration.

The man knew that he was getting nowhere, and he sighed, running his fingers through his hair, very upset. "Listen, I've got a boyfriend back home. I wouldn't do this to him. Why would I go prancing around the city with a strange girl?"

"Yet you went off with a strange boy to a party?" Lightning cut in, and the man's cheeks went red.

Reno thought things out in his head, but his mind continuously muddled up. He looked at the man closely, then his arms dropped, and he rushed over to a bag he had.

"Could you put these sunglasses on?" he asked, and the man narrowed his eyes, nodding slowly. He put on the sunglasses, and looked up at Reno shyly. Reno pursed his lips, shaking his head. "It doesn't look like him at all."

Lightning looked up at him with curiosity as he took the glasses off the man and put them away. "Doesn't look like who?"

"Shadow boy. Remember?"

Lightning chuckled. "You think that that kid did all of this?"

"Why not?" Reno asked. "Kairi and Sora are best friends."

Lightning pursed her lips. "I need to talk to that girl." She mumbled. "And Sora, when I get the chance. And Ventus, and Aqua…" She tried not to think of the enormous task ahead of her, and went into Kairi's interrogation room.

The girl looked ahead dully. Lightning tried to smile at her, and sat down in front of her. She had never been good at the 'sisterly' thing. She didn't know how to make Kairi feel at ease.

"Hi, Kairi." She said quietly, and Kairi nodded. "I'm going to ask a few questions, if you could just answer them-"

"Go ahead." Kairi responded quickly, and Lightning nodded, plodding right in.

"Can you just try to tell me what happened, what you remember, first?"

Kairi nodded. "I had just talked to a friend, Namine. She got into a fight with her foster dad, Marluxia, outside my door, and he grabbed her by the arm. Then, she kicked him, and ran away. I ran out to see what was going on, and we had a really long argument. Then, I went back inside, and I called my friend, Selphie. We talked for a while and I told her about Namine. Then, I just blacked out." She mumbled. "And when I woke up, I was in bed with this strange guy, in the City That Never Was. I don't know what happened." She choked. Lightning rubbed her palms together in discomfort. She hated tears. This was why she didn't interrogate the victims very often.

"Do you remember anything in between? A party?"

Kairi furrowed her eyebrows. "I feel like I walked away from my house. But that's it. I can't remember anything else, except a humming noise." She added, and Lightning snapped to attention. "Like, music?"

"No, like a machine." Kairi said. "And light. But that's all."

"Kairi…" Lightning started, trying to choose her wording wisely. "Your neighbor and parents saw you walking off with a strange man, at around 6 o'clock, who fits the description of this man you were found with. You can't remember that at all?"

"No." Kairi said with finality.

"If your call with your friend, Selphie, went from say, 5:30 to 5:50, and if your father answered the call to him by Sora's father at, say, 5:45 or 5:50, that would have given you ten minutes to become intoxicated, blacking out. No alcohol was found anywhere near the premises, or in your blood tests. You didn't leave your room. The only thing I can think of is that you got drugged. But your blood tests were completely devoid of any foreign substances. It's just crazy. It doesn't make sense." Lightning sighed. "I guess what I'm trying to say is, do you know anyone who would do this to you?"

Kairi pursed her lips. "I don't know." She mumbled, and Lightning nodded. "Do you think that you ate something, that gave you a strange reaction? Is there anything in your medical history that could have caused this?"

Kairi appeared to be thinking very, very hard. Lightning waited for her, and she watched Kairi's expression go to that of remembrance, and of confusion and slight fear. "The only other time this happened was when I was fourteen." She mumbled, and Lightning looked up at her in curiosity. "I was being used for something, because I had only light inside of me. I was what they called a 'princess of heart'. I was injected with something, and it knocked me out for a long time. Like, three months, or something like that. I don't know." She mumbled.

Lightning's pen dropped, and she picked it up quickly, scribbling things down. She remembered how Xehanort Jr. had talked about a young girl years ago; whom he thought may have been a princess of heart. Kairi was saying that she was a princess of heart, and she would have been a young girl at the time.

"Kairi?" Lightning asked, and the girl looked up, leaning forward a little bit. "Did you live in Radiant Garden when you were younger?"

Kairi blinked, and then nodded. "I've only recently regained some memories from that time. I blocked it out because it was so upsetting."

A thousand thoughts whizzed through Lightning's mind, and she tried to form words. "Tell me what happened." She tried simply, and Kairi sighed.

"When I was little, I lived in Radiant Garden. I don't remember it much. All I remember is a blue haired woman giving me a necklace, and my grandmother telling me stories. I used to have nightmares, when I was a kid, about a tan man with long white hair, and yellow eyes, staring down at me from a huge tower. Then black monsters would chase me to a river. But I think that that was a memory, too. I remember one day, the sky turned black, and I was separated from my grandmother. I ran away from the city, and black monsters with yellow eyes followed me. I was carried down a river, and I think I went out to the sea. That's how I must have gotten to Destiny Islands."

Lightning had read about the Hollow Bastion Massacre. It had been in Yen Sid's diary, and Ansem's. If the masked boy was in fact, Bertrand Decker, a being made completely of darkness, and if he did kidnap Kairi, why would he have done it?

Lightning remembered how Yen Sid had talked to her about the way the masked boy couldn't survive with pure darkness inside him. Why did he need a person with only light inside of them?

"Maybe the drug put in me was some sort of heartless stuff." Kairi mumbled, and Lightning blinked up at her. "That's all I can think of."

Lightning chuckled to herself, feeling empowered and undeniably confused with her new knowledge.

A doctor went in to talk to Reno, and Reno came back and tapped Lightning on the shoulder. "There's signs of trauma to the man's neck. This could indicate that he was knocked out. There's also something unidentifiable in his system. It shares properties with other depressants, but it's incredibly strong. We can't figure out what it is."

Lightning nodded to herself. "This was a sophisticated set up. And, I think I've found the culprit of our crimes." She added. Reno raised an eyebrow. "The boy with the gun." She said quietly, and Reno looked at her with a slight smile, snorting. "Explain later." He mumbled, and trudged off to talk to someone else.

Lightning decided that she would have to go talk to Sora. She asked Sora's father if she could talk to him, and Sora's father acquiesced, deciding to go with them.

They drove down to the hospital in Destiny Islands, and went into Sora's room. The boy seemed surprisingly upbeat. He was watching TV, and eating the last bit of his lunch, a small yogurt. He smiled occasionally at the screen, and even laughed, but as Lightning got closer, she noticed the tiredness in his eyes. When he saw his father come in, he smiled even more. "Hey, dad!" he tried to say brightly, and his father patted him on the head. "Do you mind if these investigators ask you a few questions?" he asked, and Sora shrugged. "I'd be happy to help."

Lightning sat down, and Reno stayed standing. "Sora, I want to go right into this. I'm going to ask you a few questions about what happened to you last night, and I want you to answer to the best of your ability. Do you think that you can do that?"

Sora nodded vigorously, ready to talk. "Say absolutely everything." Lightning added, which made Sora tilt his head a little bit in curiosity. "Alright. I'll give it my best." He murmured, and started.

"Well, I was at my desk, and in the mirror I keep on it, I noticed this guy in a black suit coming towards me. I jumped up, just after he noticed that I'd noticed, and he was really fast! He threw me out the window, and then he told me that my dad should stop investigating, because he might get into trouble. Then, I looked at him. And, I don't know why, I just called him Vanitas. I'd heard my friend Riku talking about it once. I don't know why I said it, I just knew within myself for a second that that was the guy's name. Or, I thought I did. He just laughed at me. He said he wasn't my friend, but he was a friend of my dad's. And then he said he was about to become his enemy. Then he beat me up until I couldn't stand. He told me to pass it on, and I said I would." Sora's voice reverted into a whisper. "And I told him I'd get my dad to work twice as hard to put him in jail. That made him angry. So, he came back and tried to kill me, but my dad shot at him. He dived into the bushes."

Lightning scribbled all of this down in a small notebook that she had picked up in the City That Never Was. She liked the idea of the notebooks the keyblade master's kept. It helped things stay organized in her mind.

"And you said that your friend Riku knew him?" Lightning asked, and Sora shook his head vigorously. "Riku's into this boy, Ventus now. Ventus used to know a kid named Vanitas who bullied him. That's where I got the name. Don't know why I called the guy that, though."

Sora went on eating his yogurt, and Lightning nodded, her heart beating a little faster than it had been before.

"Sora, your friend Kairi, was kidnapped, we believe by the same man. Do you know why he would go after both of you like this?" Lightning elaborated, and Sora shook his head. "He just went after me because I was the Investigator's son. Was he intimidating the mayor, too?" Sora asked, a little worried, and Reno shook his head. "Seems like she was kidnapped for an entirely different reason."

"Is she alright?" Sora asked, and Lightning nodded. "We're almost certain that she is."

Sora seemed satisfied with this, and sat back. "Are you going to go to Ventus, next?" he asked, and Lightning nodded. "You might want to check the hospital in Twilight Town, first. I think he's still in there."

Reno looked up in curiosity. "Why?"

"He got beat up."

Lightning and Reno looked at each other in surprise, and then said goodbye to Sora, filing out of the hospital. Sora's father decided that he would be staying with his son.

They continued their long journey to Twilight Town, where they were sure Ventus would be.

…..

Axel drove with Aqua to the hospital to meet Ventus. The kid was going to be having a big crowd of people to see him out. Riku was coming; Roxas and his parents were coming, too. Axel would have preferred to go on the train, but Aqua insisted that the car would be faster.

Aqua looked out at the little lane in front of them hopefully, with a hint of a smile on her face. She must have felt optimistic about the case that would be coming up. She was meeting with Xemnas' lawyer tomorrow, and the case was the day after.

"Don't worry, Axel. Things will begin to look up."

Axel had been in close quarters to her for a while now. His boy-like infatuation for her had subsided a little bit, to the point where he could talk coherently to her. He wondered if he could flirt with her. "You have anyone back home who's special to you?" he asked, and Aqua smiled a little bit. "Home? What's that?" she chuckled. There was a pause, before she looked off wistfully.

"My home is gone now, Axel." She muttered. Axel furrowed his eyebrows. "What about Palumpolum, and Gestahlia?"

Aqua shrugged. "They were places I went to school. They both reeked of war, whether it was impending, or whether it had already happened. No, my true home is here." She said, nodding to herself a little bit. "Was here." She added, in a mumbled voice.

"Where were you from?"

"I came from the Land of Departure." She sighed, and Axel nodded a little slowly. He didn't really know what place she was talking about. "It's kind of off the map, now." Aqua muttered bitterly. "It's gone to me. Everything is gone."

Axel was surprised how tense the air got. He hated it, but he let Aqua continue talking anyway.

"Xemnas and I used to go up the mountains, to the cherry blossoms. We'd eat cherries together. And Ventus, and Terra and I exchanged good luck charms so we would always be together. Eraqus' smile was the best reward, when we did well. We had high hopes for each other. That was the best time." She mumbled. "But one of the worst things was the way people changed. My old friends are gone. It makes me happy, and sad to look at Roxas. Ventus could have been like him."

"He can still change." Axel mumbled. "With a guy like Riku by his side, he'll be okay."

Then, something struck him. "Wait, you were friends with Xemnas?" he barked, and the color went out of Aqua's face. She laughed nervously. "I knew him."

"Who are you?" Axel said in disbelief. Aqua would not answer, and opted instead to continue looking forward.

"So you don't have anyone?" Axel pursued. The woman opened her mouth up to answer, but closed it again, before thinking hard of the best thing to say. "They're unattainable." She mumbled, looking out the window. Axel chuckled. "Well, I was kind of in the same boat. Is it like, you'll never love another human being as much as you love that person?"

Aqua nodded, and smiled at Axel. "Yeah, it's like that. The sad thing is, I really only realized it when it was too late to go back."

"I realized late, too." Axel tried. "I don't know. I'm still hoping that things will turn out in my advantage."

Aqua grinned a little bit as Axel laughed. "Is that pink haired guy bothering you anymore?" Aqua said, and Axel's smile faded. "Uh, not really. For the past few days I haven't seen him at all."

"That's good." Aqua said seriously. "I don't like him at all."

They pulled up to the hospital, and Axel looked out the window lazily, setting eyes on a man with a slouching posture, and a head of fire red hair, tied back into a long pony tail. He was walking along side a tall woman with pink hair. Axel's mouth dropped, and he rubbed his eyes to see if he wasn't crazy.

"Reno!" he shrieked out the window, and the man turned around a little. The two met eyes, and then Reno pretended not to see him, speeding up towards the hospital entrance.

"Park the car." Axel snapped, and Aqua looked at him blankly. "That's my brother!" he shouted at her, and she let him out. Axel charged over to his brother, grabbing the man by the arm. The pink haired woman beside him looked at Axel in disdain, and Reno shoved him away. "What the hell?" he shouted, and Axel shoved him back. "What the hell did you ignore me for?" Axel snapped. Reno looked away in masked embarrassment. He looked nearly as terrible as Axel did these days. Axel noticed, and softened a little bit. "Why are you here?" he asked.

"We're investigating a case." Reno snapped cuttingly, and Axel chuckled, holding his hands up in front of him. "Okay, Reno. Are you interviewing someone?" Axel asked, and Reno nodded. "A kid named Ventus."

"That's Roxas' brother." Axel said in surprise. "What did he do?" he remembered how the kid had come on to Lea. Maybe Ventus was a criminal, after all.

"Do you know him?" Reno asked, and Aqua pushed past Axel as he tried to nod. "What are you going to ask Ventus?" she said sternly. Lightning decided to cut in here, not wanting the conversation to go any further. "That's confidential." She stated simply, turning around again, but Aqua pulled her back. "He is my friend, and I don't want you talking to him about anything in his past that might be a tender subject for him. He's been through a lot already."

Lightning narrowed her eyes, and nodded. "What are you both doing here?" she asked, and Axel snorted. "We're here because she wanted to see Ventus."

"And, what is your name?" Lightning asked the blue haired woman, and Aqua held out her hand. "My name is Aquina De Grue." She said professionally as Lightning shook her hand slowly. Axel chuckled to himself, wondering why she had called herself Aqua around him. Maybe it was for familiarity, so he would feel more comfortable with her.

"Lightning Farron." Lightning returned. "How did you meet Ventus?" she asked. Aqua's mouth twitched up into a smile. Axel could tell that she was slightly nervous. "I met him last year, but it feels like we've been together forever. He needed someone to look after him."

Lightning pursed her lips, nodding. Axel blinked out at Aqua with a curious expression. She was telling downright lies.

"Are you going out with Axel?" Reno asked. Aqua shook her head with a slight grin. "I am his lawyer. I asked if we could go see Ventus before I went to the police station with him."

Lightning tilted her head when she looked at Aqua. Lightning felt as if the woman had been through some of the pain that she had been through in her life. She felt like they were alike, in certain ways.

"We don't want to traumatize Ventus, we just want to ask him a little bit about his past." Reno added. Aqua looked at him closely, and then she moved past them, and into the hospital lobby. Riku, Roxas, and his family were already there, waiting.

Roxas' mother was looking eagerly off into the double doors where Ventus would be coming out, but Roxas stared ahead to the exit. Axel had no doubt in his mind that the boy was looking for Xion. She had just kind of upped and left one day, she hadn't told Roxas where she was going or why she would be gone. But, King Mickey had assured them that it was nothing serious. That had just made Roxas worry even more.

There was a cheer, and Ventus was wheeled out of the double doors in a wheelchair, quite pleased with himself. When he saw the amount of people waiting for him, he smiled hugely, and held out his arms for a hug. Roxas' mother and father went over to hug him first, and then Roxas gave him an awkward hug. Next, it was Riku. Aqua was last, and hugged him tightly, rubbing the back of his head affectionately.

Lightning and Reno began speaking with Roxas' parents about interrogating Ventus. At first, Roxas' mother was defiant, but then she backed down as she found out just how important the questioning would be.

Reno and Lightning drove over to Roxas' house, following behind Aqua's car.

Axel blinked at Aqua, who looked suddenly pale and sickly. "Why did you lie?" he asked gently, and she bit her lip a little bit, her eyes moving back and forth quickly on the road. "I told you too much." She muttered. "I abhor blackmail, but if you rat me out, I will run away, and you will go to jail."

Silence pervaded the car as Axel stared at Aqua in disbelief. He decided to pursue further.

"You said that you only knew Ventus for a year. But you've known him since he was little, right? You knew Xemnas, meaning you knew Xehanort!" Axel added. He rubbed his head; trying to remember some of the things he had heard Xemnas talking about.

When Saix and Axel were better friends, Saix used to tell Axel stuff about Xemnas. He remembered a time when Saix had told him he'd snuck into a secret room that Xemnas had, and heard him talking with someone. He called them his 'old friend', but Saix hadn't seen anyone there. Saix told Axel, that he'd heard Xemnas saying 'I'm sorry you had to go', or something of that sort. Maybe it was nothing.

Aqua's hands were shaking, and her nostrils flared. "Axel, I suggest that we end this conversation now."

"I have a right to know!" Axel shouted. "You're my lawyer, I'm supposed to trust you! Why are you calling yourself Aqua around me, and then Aquina around everyone else!"

"Because that is my name!" Aqua shouted. "And if you can't trust me as a lawyer, then go find a new one. I say I'm a pretty damn good deal!"

There was more silence, as Aqua stared straight ahead, fuming and nervous. Axel hadn't seen her this bent out of shape for a while. "I'll tell you when the time comes. Maybe even tomorrow." Aqua said in a low voice, and Axel decided not to pursue it any further.

…

The sound of the airplane landing made Xion nearly jump up and down in excitement, but she tried her best to control herself, and instead hugged Rude. They had become pretty close in their time together, and Xion regarded Rude as a kind of father figure. Rude tried to appear stern as he accepted Xion's hug, but she could see a hint of a smile creep into his features.

They got all of their bags, went through customs, and hopped in their car. Rude and Xion went over to Yen Sid's tower first, to check in with him. Xion told him the good news about Namine, and Yen Sid seemed troubled.

He was about to tell Xion something, but she was too excited, and left with Rude, so that they could get to Roxas' house. She would meet up with him, introduce him to Rude, and then she would find King Mickey, give him Namine's papers, and she would be set.

"Everything's great, isn't it, Rude?" she blubbered, and he shrugged as they pulled up in front of Roxas' house. There were two other cars in front of the building, and Xion pursed her lips in confusion. "This is really strange."

"That's an Investigation Bureau car." Rude murmured, pointing towards one of the cars in front of the house, and Xion's heart began to beat faster. She jumped out of the car, and ran over to the door, with Rude following close behind. When she wrung the doorbell, it wasn't long before Roxas answered. He was holding a sea salt ice cream.

At first, he looked at her blankly, but then his whole demeanor changed, and he opened up his arms, and threw the ice cream to the ground. "Xion!" he shouted, and grabbed her up, swinging her around before planting his lips onto hers. Rude stood back, coughing in slight embarrassment. After a moment's embrace, Roxas lead the two inside. There was a surprising amount of people in the living room.

"Hi, everyone!" Xion shouted, and everyone looked over. "I'm back, with a special friend from the Investigation Bureau, Rude!"

Everyone looked at her dumbly, not really grasping the situation. A man with long red hair tied back in a ponytail turned around, looked up at Rude, and his eyes became moist. He suddenly averted his gaze, hoping against hope that the man hadn't seen him.

"Reno?" Rude asked, but the man did not turn around. "Is that you?"

Rude walked over to the redhead, and pulled him around so that they were facing each other.

"Reno, what happened to you?" Rude asked sadly, noticing the black bags under Reno's eyes, and the way his usually bright skin had gone pale and sickly looking. "Uh, early midlife crisis, Rude, nothing to worry about." Reno chuckled, trying to smile, and Rude took off his sunglasses. "Do you want to sit outside?" Rude asked. Reno hesitated for a moment before nodding. They both exited the house, and sat on the doorstep.

It was a quiet day, and nobody was around, so the minute Reno sat down, he put his head in his hands, and Rude noticed his shoulders shaking. He wondered if Reno was crying.

"So, Reno, what did you do after the Geostigma outbreak?" Rude tried, but Reno didn't reply. Rude wasn't very good at holding long conversations. When he and Reno had been together, Reno had usually been the talker. But, Rude tried his best, and continued.

"I observed your sadness upon my leaving the Turks, and Rufus Shinra. But, I have done pretty well for myself. I am one of King Mickey's honorary knights. I hold a high rank in the head office at the Investigation Bureau. I heard that you are doing well, too, my friend."

Rude was surprised to hear Reno chuckling as he said the last few words, and the red head shook his head, looking up at Rude with misty, tired eyes. "I left the Turks after my dad died. I got a job with the Investigation Bureau, but things haven't been going too hot. I'm being downgraded to customs officer at the airport in Nibelhiem." He muttered bluntly, and Rude pursed his lips. Failure was a big, big thing to Reno.

"Maybe you've gotten lazy, Reno." Rude murmured, making Reno snort in disapproval. "You worked so hard when you were a Turk, but towards the end, you lost interest. Do you think that maybe your mistakes are due to your lack of interest?"

Reno sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Yeah. You're right." He looked up at the sun that was setting over Twilight Town, trying to take it in so that he could feel better. "I'm sorry I lost touch with you, Rude. I should have never let you go the way you did." He sighed, and Rude patted him on the shoulder. "Not your fault, Reno, I understand."

"No, Rude." Reno corrected sternly. "You always made me look good. We were a team, and I was too stupid to realize how important you were. I'm sorry."

Rude waved Reno off. The two sat in silence for a moment. Then, Rude nudged Reno playfully, who nudged him back, who nudged _him_ back, until they both erupted into fits of giggles.

"We still are big, little kids, aren't we Rude?" Reno said enthusiastically, and Rude shrugged. "On the inside."

"Oh yeah, of course, of course. This side doesn't come out too often."

"Nice to see that we both still have it." Rude added, and Reno nodded, rubbing his eyes with a sigh. "Yeah, things have been hard, lately, man. I need to learn to man up."

"You'll be alright, Reno. You look like you've got a nice girl by your side."

Reno blinked out at Rude in pleasant surprise, and then roared in laughter. Rude couldn't understand what was going on. Reno waved him off in between laughs. "You'd understand if you knew her."

Silence entered the air again, and Reno and Rude just looked out at the sun, which had almost disappeared behind the horizon.

….

There was an uncomfortable quiet in the room, and Xion decided to break it. "Did those two know each other?"

"Obviously." Axel shrugged, and took the initiative to sit down in one of the living room chairs. Roxas' mother looked on in disdain as he did so, and told Roxas that she was leaving the house with his father for a little while.

"Your father's got lunch with his boss, and I need to do the shopping. Hold down the fort while I'm gone, will you?" She asked Roxas, and he nodded, telling them goodbye as they left. As soon as they were gone, everyone looked at each other again.

"Introductions?" Xion piped up, and Axel nodded. Riku had been surprisingly quiet the whole time, and he looked up the stairs in anticipation, as if Ventus would come running at him any second.

"My name is Xion! I'm an old, very good friend of Roxas'!" Xion piped up, pointing at Roxas, and Roxas waved an affirmative. "I'm Riku." Riku mumbled. "Family friend."

Axel waved at everyone, eyeing Lightning in particular. "I'm Axel. That guy that was outside was my brother, Reno. I don't know who the other guy was, but I guess they knew each other."

"His name is Rude. He works for the Investigation Bureau. He's a King's Knight." Xion interjected smugly, and Roxas put his palm to his forehead. Aqua waved next. "I am Aquina." She said snippily. "I am a lawyer of Axel and a friend of Ventus."

It eventually came around to Lightning, and she bowed slightly. "I am Lightning Farron. I am working with the Investigation Bureau on an important case based in Midgar."

Everyone looked at her in awe, and then Xion began to clap a little bit. Though, she stopped very soon, realizing that nobody else was clapping. "May I speak with Ventus?" Lightning asked, and Aqua nodded. Lightning ascended the stairs with the woman, and Aqua let her into the boy's bedroom.

"Would you mind if I talked to him for a moment before-?" Aqua began, but Lightning cut her off, suspicious. "Yes." the pink haired woman said curtly. "But you can certainly sit in with us."

Aqua pursed her lips, and nodded, going in with Lightning. Aqua sat beside Ventus, and Lightning pulled up Roxas' desk chair near the bed. Ventus was propped up on a pillow, reading. He stopped when the two women entered his room.

"Who are you?" Ventus asked in curiosity, and Lightning held out her hand for him to shake. "My name is Lightning Farron. I work for the Investigation Bureau. I wanted to ask you a few questions about your past."

Ventus' face went dark, but he nodded and closed his eyes. Lightning started right in, like she always did.

"Ventus, I'd like to know a little bit more about Vanitas, the boy who bullied you when you were younger. Would you like to know what I've found out about him so far?" Lightning added, and Ventus paused, before nodding slowly.

Lightning pulled some of Bertrand Decker's information out of a small folder she had brought in with her, and she showed it to Ventus, who looked at it with hollow eyes.

"We think that Vanitas' real name was Bertrand Decker. He was put into an orphanage for intellectual disabilities when he was younger, after his mother and father died. Xehanort adopted him. But we don't know what happened after that. I've spoken with an old keyblade master, Yen Sid, and he told me that I would find answers if I spoke with you. Is he right?"

Ventus looked up at her with tired eyes, but nodded again. He sighed, and then sat up a little more so that he could tell the story.

"When I was younger, there used to be a yearly celebration, for the college. It was also to honor key blade masters. There was always a competition where the kids would have fake key blade fights. The winner got a trophy. I was five at the time, but I'd loved the whole key blade idea ever since I'd first seen it." Ventus said, sitting up proudly. "And I got to the point where I was going up against ten year olds!"

"I finally went up against this one ten year old- he was faster than me, and I lost. I was really disappointed. But when Xehanort shook my hand, he said he could make me so that I could go up against people _three _times my age. I was shocked that he'd want to help me. I started to sit on the wall of the University and watch the students of Master Eraqus and Master Xehanort practicing with their key blades. I'd watched through a hole in the fence before, because we weren't allowed to spectate unless we were students. But I felt like I had a right to watch, with what Xehanort had said to me."

"Then, one day, Master Eraqus told me to leave, and Xehanort accompanied me out of the University gates. He asked me if I wanted to become his apprentice, and I said yes. And I became his apprentice. I used to go over and have dinner with him a lot, because my mother didn't have a lot of money for food." He mumbled.

"I was getting stronger really fast. I also got really angry. My emotions were kind of haywire. I figured it was from all the stress that was being put on me. Xehanort was a tough teacher. He'd put me against huge opponents that I had no hope of defeating, to see how fast I lost."

Lightning observed how hard it was for Aqua to listen to Ventus' history. For a person who had only known him a year, she wasn't even surprised to hear this history. But she did say that it felt like they'd known each other forever.

"I was getting better and better, but he didn't think I was doing it fast enough. He said that I was holding back. One day, he put me against 14 guys, and told me to defeat them. I knew I couldn't, but he said that he wouldn't let me give up this time. He said he wouldn't help me. I felt something stirring inside of me, like it wanted to get out. It just felt dangerous to me. I was scared, and fed up. He wasn't training me the way I'd seen all the other kids being trained. I wasn't being taught anything new. He said he was 'teaching by immersion', but I had no experience. I didn't even knock two of the fourteen guys down. They all piled on me and started to attack me. I was out cold within five minutes."

"Did Xehanort not rescue you?" Lightning asked, and Ventus shook his head. "No. He wanted to see how far I could go. When I came to again, he was standing over me. He was really angry, and he told me that I wasn't strong enough to be trained properly."

"After that, he began to really train me. I was learning new fighting techniques, and I was really improving. My body was getting really strong. I was also doing meditations and exercises to make my mind and conscience 'stronger', as Xehanort described it."

"Then, he started to talk about a kid that he had adopted. He told me that 'since I was not fulfilling my purpose, it would have to fulfill it for me.' I thought he was talking about a monster- but then when I saw him, he was just a little kid. He was my age, but he was really small."

"What did he look like?" Lightning asked.

Ventus narrowed his eyes. "He looked like the picture."

Lightning nodded. "Could you testify that?"

There was an excruciating pause, like time had stopped, and Ventus' eyes grew wide with fear. "Who would I be testifying against?" Ventus asked slowly, and Lightning realized what she had said, trying to backtrack as best as she could.

"Well, what I meant to say was, could you confirm that." She tried to correct. "We believe that Bertrand Decker is the perpetrator of a certain number of crimes in this area."

"Why do you need to know his connection to me in order to catch him?" Ventus snapped back, his voice rising in pitch. "It wasn't his fault the way he was raised!"

"Then whose fault was it?" Lightning replied, and Ventus became quiet, sitting back in bed with his mouth clamped shut. Aqua looked at Lightning with an unintelligible expression, one that Lightning feared bordered on smugness. Lightning narrowed her eyes at the blue haired woman in front of her, and smiled a little bit.

"Can I speak with you alone, Aquina?" Lightning said calmly, and Aqua looked at her for a moment with another nameless expression, before nodding.

They exited the bedroom, and Lightning closed the door, before turning to Aqua with a hard glance.

"You have blue hair." She said simply, and Aqua looked at her strangely, laughing nervously. "Yes, I do." She muttered.

"Is it natural?" Lightning asked, and Aqua looked at her with surprise, before shaking her head. "No, it's not. It's my favorite color. I know it's unconventional for a lawyer to-"

"You're an idiot." Lightning said simply, and Aqua's jaw dropped. "You come back around here to your hometown, expecting everyone to have forgotten about you, with the same face and the same hair as you've had since you were born. It's a little longer than it was in the pictures, but it's still the same you." She continued, as Aqua backed away. "How did you ever come to these conclusions?" Aqua chuckled, and Lightning smiled coldly. "I am an investigator. I've been speaking with Yen Sid. He's looking for you."

"I don't know who you are talking about." Aqua said cuttingly. "If you want documentation of who I am, I can show you. Maybe it's just a freak coincidence that I look like the girl you are looking for."

"It's not a coincidence, Aqua. Why are you back after all these years? Did you think you'd fly under the radar?"

Aqua's nostrils flared as she looked at Lightning. "What do you want?" she said lowly, and Lightning stepped closer to her, to assert her point more clearly. "I want information."

"For what?" Aqua snapped.

"Xehanort."

This seemed to send Aqua near over the edge, and she leaned against the wall so that she could calm down. "I did not come back to get warped into that again." She said lowly.

"Won't he recognize you when you meet with him?"

Aqua pursed her lips, and sighed. "I want to meet him face to face. But I want to do it in my own time."

"Will you be ready to let him see you for what you are, when the time comes? Or will you back out again?" Lightning responded. Aqua couldn't speak back. "This is your chance to come to terms with things. Help us get this criminal under control." Lightning pushed.

Aqua looked out of the window, and then back at Lightning with a hard glare. "What information do you want?"

Lightning grinned. "First, we need to pin down Bertrand Decker."

"You mean Vanitas?" Aqua asked, and Lightning nodded. "I only know what I heard from Yen Sid. I need Ventus to tell me what happened with Vanitas. And I need you to help me."

There was a strained expression on Aqua's face, as she looked around the hall. Then, she sighed heavily, and nodded, turning back towards Ventus' room. "Let's go." She said darkly, and Aqua followed her back into the room where Ventus was waiting. He looked over to Aqua for support, but she could only stare down at the floor.

She sat down beside her little friend, and held his hand tightly. "Ventus." She whispered, and Ventus looked at her coolly, as if he knew that she had been coerced into helping Lightning. "We need your help-"

Ventus ignored her, and looked out the window, taking his hand away from hers. He refused to look at either of the people in front of him. Lightning was restless, thinking about a thousand things seemingly at once. Then, something clicked in her mind, and she stood up, pacing.

"I am an idiot!" she chuckled to herself, remembering what she had read in one of Ansem's secret reports. One of them, the one that talked about Namine, also spoke briefly, for a sentence or two, about a little girl named Kairi, who lived in Radiant Garden, and was a princess of light. Kairi said herself that she had lived in Radiant Garden.

The little girl who Xehanort Jr. talked about in his reports must have been Kairi. Xehanort wanted to use the light inside Kairi as food for the heartless. Kairi had felt like she had been drugged with heartless venom when she was kidnapped. Bertrand Decker had kidnapped Kairi, but for what reason? How would he have access to such a strange substance?

Lightning decided that she would have to explain the whole situation to Ventus. She shut every door and window, and checked the whole room for bugs, before sitting down back beside Ventus. He looked at her in deep fear.

"Ventus, I am going to tell you extremely confidential information." Lightning said lowly, and Ventus shifted back and forth a little bit uncomfortably.

"Ventus, do you know who the princesses of heart are?" Lightning asked. Ventus grinned a little tiredly. "Of course I do."

"Do you know of one named Kairi, from Radiant Garden?"

Ventus furrowed his eyebrows, but Aqua looked like she had been hit with a ton of bricks.

"I think I remember that little girl." Aqua said in a mystified tone. "I gave her a necklace. She was being attacked by an Unversed, and I saved her. She was with her grandmother at the time."

"She was kidnapped by Bertrand." Lightning responded. "Or Vanitas, as you call him."

Ventus looked confused, scratching his head.

"Vanitas tried to kill you friend, Sora. He kidnapped Kairi, recently, for an unknown purpose. Vanitas injected her with heartless venom, and because she was a princess of heart, she simply fell unconscious instead of turning into a monster." Lightning explained. Aqua and Ventus seemed disturbed that she knew so much. But, Aqua was beginning to trust her. If Yen Sid had told her so much, she must have had a good aura.

"Why did he try to kill Sora?" Ventus asked.

"It was purely because he was the director's son. That is, the director of the Investigation Bureau. Vanitas told him that his father should stop 'investigating'. Then, Sora defied him, and got Vanitas angry, and Vanitas tried to kill him."

Ventus snorted at this, shaking his head. "Sounds just like the old him." Then, he frowned. "But really… Vanitas never did anything without good reason for it… everything was calculated…" he became lost in thought, and Lightning's interest spiked dramatically. Ventus looked up at her with narrowed eyes, realizing his power in the situation. "Tell me more." He said quaintly, and Lightning continued.

"If the reports are correct, Vanitas attempted to kill Sora, and then went over to Kairi's house, injected her, kidnapped her, and then left her in a hotel room with a strange man."

"Where did he get the strange man?" Aqua asked, going into investigation mode, like she had so many years ago when the Unversed problem arose.

"The man said he went for a walk, and met Vanitas. He cannot remember where he was at 6 o'clock, and drugs were found in his system. When he finally woke up, it was in his hotel room with Kairi the next morning."

"When was the boy Sora attacked?" Aqua asked. "Five thirty." Lightning replied, and Aqua nodded, pacing. "And the girl Kairi?"

"She was seen exiting her house with a strange boy, presumably Vanitas, at 6 o'clock at night."

Aqua nodded again, biting her fingernails in deep thought. "That creates a pretty concrete time frame. If the man was out cold by 6 o'clock, that means he would have had to be drugged _before _6 o'clock. Where was this?"

"The man was in The City that Never Was."

Aqua nodded again. "And was any mode of transportation found?"

"There was a motorcycle with no labels on its parts."

The blue haired girl seemed to become deeper in thought the more Lightning explained. "If, by chance, that was Vanitas' mode of transportation to and from the City that Never Was… how long would that be away from here?"

"I'd say it's a two and a half hours journey by fast motorcycle." Lightning quickly responded.

"Right." Aqua replied. "Meaning that if Kairi was kidnapped at 6 o'clock, she would have been transported to the City That Never Was at 9 o'clock at night, three hours after the man accused said he was unconscious…"

"… Meaning that Vanitas' kidnap of the man was premeditated. He'd planned the whole thing out." Lightning continued for the woman.

"Let's create a new hypothetical time frame for this whole thing." Aqua cut in excitedly. "The man goes out for a walk at 3 o'clock, maybe he'd just eaten lunch. He meets Vanitas along the way, and Vanitas invites him out. The man follows him someplace, and Vanitas drugs him, and leaves him in a secluded area. Then, Vanitas gets on his motorcycle, drives over to Sora's house, and beats the boy up at five thirty. His timing is just good enough, to where he gets to Kairi's house by five fifty, drugs her, and walks off to his motorcycle with her at six. Another two and a half hours later, at 8:30, Kairi is in the City That Never Was. Then, in the morning, she is found with that same man, in his hotel room."

Lightning nodded as Aqua explained. She figured that the blue haired woman had it pretty near spot on. "We just need to figure out what happened in between that time."

"Can Kairi remember anything?" Aqua asked, but Lightning shook her head. "She just remembers a humming noise, like a machine."

Ventus' head snapped up, and he narrowed his eyes in slight curiosity. Aqua noticed it straight away, even though Ventus tried to hide it initially.

"Ventus, do you know something?" Lightning inquired seriously, and the boy shrugged nonchalantly. "Ventus, we need to know what happened to Kairi in between the hours that she lay unconscious. We need to know why Vanitas did this. You could be saving people's lives by giving this information." Lightning added. Ventus seemed to squirm a little more, thinking hard. Then, he finally looked at Aqua, who nodded, and the boy gave in.

"The first time I met Vanitas, we were being put into a machine by Xehanort." Ventus mumbled, his hands shaking like a leaf. "He was trying to extract the darkness from inside of me, and put it into Vanitas. After the darkness was put into Vanitas, I went into a coma. I had just gone through having half of my being ripped out of me. Vanitas had my darkness inserted into him- but it was still mine. Sometimes I think that was why he was plagued by the Unversed." Ventus whispered. "When the darkness inside him was away from its true home, it wanted to die. I think that was why Vanitas was in so much pain."

"He was in pain?" Lightning asked, and Ventus nodded surely. "I could feel it. I always felt a connection with Vanitas, because of the way we are connected."

"But, the machine had a really weird humming noise. Sometimes I can still hear it in my sleep. It scares the hell out of me." Ventus added, chuckling weakly. "I don't see how it could have been anything else. I always connect that machine with Vanitas now."

Lightning scribbled everything down in her notebook, nodding. "Why would Vanitas try to extract the light from inside of Kairi?" Lightning asked, and Ventus shrugged, confused.

"I don't know." Ventus mumbled. "The princesses of light turn darkness into light. If Vanitas tried to put that light inside of himself, he'd die." Aqua explained.

"Maybe he's trying to become whole again." Ventus murmured. Lightning looked at him closely.

"Yen Sid told me that there were stories of beings created out of pure darkness- but they all died. He didn't see how Vanitas could continue in the state he was in." Lightning tried, and Ventus chuckled darkly, shaking his head.

"That's because Vanitas is just a broken half of me!" he snapped. "I was the original, a piece of me was extracted to make him! I barely recovered, and now he is dying." Ventus' voice hissed, in an uncharacteristically mean way. "When a dog gets its leg amputated, it's not like the leg grows into another dog. It just stays a dying leg. It's the same with Vanitas."

"So he needs a light to support the darkness inside of him?" Lightning asked, and Ventus shrugged. "I guess so. Or maybe he's just trying to create the X-blade again. He's an idiot, if he thinks a princess of heart is going to do it." Ventus chuckled again. His hands subsided shaking, and he was able to sit back, thoroughly exhausted from the short talk.

"Can I go to sleep now?" he asked, and Lightning nodded.

Aqua went out of the room briefly to talk with Lightning. The two women looked at each other understandingly.

"If you need any more help, you can call me." Aqua said, giving Lightning her card. "The first day of Axel's trial is tomorrow." She sighed, and Lightning nodded. "It's a strange case."

"Yes. But, I think I've got the resources to prove who is the real felon here." Aqua said smugly, patting her bag. Lightning raised an eyebrow.

"It's a flash drive with digital copies of all the security tapes in Castle Oblivion and the Castle That Never Was. I made a few copies, just in case." Aqua added, handing one to Lightning. "I would like you to have one. I know that you will take care of it."

Lightning looked down at the little device in her hand, and smiled. "Thank you so much." She murmured.

She descended the stairs, and came down upon everyone, sitting downstairs, having a chat. Riku jumped up at the possibility of seeing Ventus again, and Aqua let him up the stairs. He dashed up them, and Lightning turned to the rest of the party.

"Thank you all so much for your time and attention." She said simply, beckoning for Reno to come over. He stood up and moved over beside her, prepared to go. "We will be calling by again to see if we need any more information. Here is my card." She added, handing her information to Aqua. "Call me if you need anything. We can send an agent out any time you like." Lightning added confidentially, and Aqua nodded in surprise. Then, the two Investigation Bureau agents were off.

Rude and Xion had paid a visit to King Mickey and Yen Sid before they arrived at Roxas' house, so Rude parted ways with Xion at that point, too. The tall man hugged Xion affectionately, and made his way out of the house, with Xion waving back at him happily. "He's a really nice guy." She said to herself, as he went out the door.

As soon as the three investigators were gone, Roxas turned to Xion with a sour expression. "What the hell did you leave for? You didn't tell any of us what was going on!" he barked, and Xion rolled her eyes. "Come on, Roxas, it was spur of the moment, confidential stuff. You can't dictate what I do."

"I would have liked to know what you were doing so I didn't have to worry!" Roxas barked.

Xion pursed her lips, and sighed heavily, in slight agitation. "I went to find Namine's birth certificate, to prove to the world that she is eighteen, so she can look after herself."

"You ran away for a thing like that?" Roxas barked. Xion nodded defiantly. "Yes. It was important to me."

Axel looked at the couple lazily, as Roxas stormed about the room. "Fine." He muttered. "At least you're back. What are you going to do with the information?" Roxas asked.

Xion smiled broadly, folding her arms over her chest. "King Mickey said that he would call Marluxia and Namine in for a meeting to discuss the proceedings. He'd call me later to tell me how everything went. Actually, later should be pretty soon."

Suddenly, Axel felt as though he couldn't bear sitting around anymore. He stood up, looking to Aqua for direction. The girl looked very tired. "Shall we get going, Axel?" she asked, and the man nodded. "We've got to discuss the trial with Xemnas and his lawyer today."

Axel rolled his eyes, and waved to everyone with a shaky hand. He did not want to be put on trial again.

As Axel and Aqua said goodbyes and headed out the door, the phone rang. Xion jumped up to answer it, running off into the kitchen. Roxas was the only one left in the living room; Riku was upstairs with Ventus.

A few minutes after answering the phone, Xion walked back into the living room, with a puzzled expression on her face. "Roxas?" she asked, and Roxas looked at her in curiosity. "What is it, Xion?" he asked. Xion shrugged, confused.

"King Mickey just informed me that Namine has been gone for a few days."

Roxas snorted. "What, disappeared? Is that a joke, Xion?"

"No, I'm serious!" Xion replied in a strangled tone. Roxas could see by the expression on her face that she was jumping to conclusions. He went over and tried to comfort her, rubbing her shoulders.

"What if Marluxia did something terrible to her, and she tried to run away? We've got to find her!" Xion gushed, tears welling up in her eyes. Roxas tried to help her calm down.

"What's going on?" a voice called from upstairs, and Roxas and Xion turned to see Riku descending them. "Riku" Xion gulped. "Namine has disappeared."

Riku's eyes nearly bugged out of his head, and his mouth opened and closed as he attempted to speak. Then, he got his coat, and threw it on, pulling out his cell phone. "I've got to go." He mumbled, and dialed a number as he ran out the door, leaving Xion and Roxas alone and confused in his little home.

…

Vanitas paced back and forth in the basement of Xehanort's headquarters. He could feel deep anxiety making its way up through his body. Judging by what Xehanort had told him previously, he had a little over two weeks till his medicine ran out. Then, he would be screwed.

For a moment, He cooled down, thinking that he had enough time. But then, his smile faded, and he remembered that after the incident with Kairi, he was now taking twice as much medicine a day as he had been before. And, counting in the venom that he had injected into Kairi to get her to fall asleep, and the venom he was going to need to test on who he was looking for, he about a week left.

Seven days.

Vanitas began to panic, and he sucked in air and blew it out raggedly, searching frantically in his bag for a vial of heartless venom. Once he got it in order, he tried to inject it into his arm, but his hands were sweaty, and his fingers slipped. The vial smashed on the floor, and Vanitas looked in horror as another quarter of a day he could use wasted away. He tried to lick the substance off the ground, but he knew broken glass in his tongue would cause suspicion from Xehanort. He injected another vial into his arm, and watched helplessly as the venom that had spilled on the floor evaporated into the air.

Vanitas had been researching and researching, racking his brains for some kind of information on who he could acquire that would help him. If all else failed, he could just kill Ventus, and extract the light from inside him. But then, Vanitas wondered if killing Ventus would kill him. It was a strange relationship.

Vanitas chewed on his fingernails, biting his fingers till they oozed blood. They shook like leaves, and he gnashed his teeth, injecting himself with another vial of venom. Finally, he could relax a little bit more.

No documents he had studied gave any clue to any person he could use to extract light from. It was infuriating. There was no one that could help him. He would die alone, in the box Xehanort had put him in.

With the medicine in his system, he did not particularly care if he died or not, his emotions had been quelled. He would just have to keep hoping for a solution.

The beginning of Axel's trial was tomorrow. He would have to monitor it from a distance, and see if Xehanort needed anything from him. Vanitas had been relieved to find that Kairi's kidnapping had not been aired on newspapers. It seemed as though Xehanort did not know about it yet. Still, Vanitas' rights were still slowly diminishing. He was not allowed outside the confines of the City That Never Was under any circumstances except those given to him by Xehanort. With the police swarming in the City That Never Was after the kidnapping, he didn't dare venture outside of Xehanort's headquarters.

The great machine that 'Vanitas' had been born from loomed behind Vanitas; he could feel the energy seeping from it, as if it was trying to drive him crazy. The humming sound it made gave him horrendous nightmares at night. Present in all his days and nights was an awareness that time was swiftly running out.


	19. Fair Trial

**I apologize greatly for leaving you all hanging for such a long time. I was very, very busy. But now, I am back, and the end of this title is near. Stay on for the end!**

Aqua climbed down a broken, dirt path road that led away from the clock tower in Twilight Town, holding on tightly to the journals in her hand. Her heart was beating fast, but she breathed in and out deeply as she made her way towards the train station. She hoped the papers in the books would hold important information she could use in Axel's case, and in her own.

…..

Xehanort, Xemnas, and Mr. Silver, Xemnas' lawyer, all filed into the courtroom silently. A few feet away from them were their opponents, Aqua and Axel.

Xehanort tried not to look at Aqua too much. He did not want to attract attention to any old memories that might have been brought back up with her return. She had not revealed her true identity to the world yet, and Xehanort preferred that it be kept that way.

At the request of Xehanort, the press was not to be involved in this trial. Only a select few members had been let in; one was Vanitas, posing as a reporter. As Aqua looked on at the reporters in slight anxiety, she tried to address Axel before the trial started. "Axel" she murmured. "I have a feeling that we are going to win."

Axel snorted, but nodded. "You've just got to be on your best guard, Axel. Don't let that lawyer psych you out."

The judge walked into the courtroom, and took a seat at the front. Then, everyone made their way to their seats, and the trial began.

Aqua's heart pounded in her chest as the judge droned on with directions for the case proceedings. She could feel Xehanort's presence so acutely, as if it was bearing down on her like a heavy weight. Xemnas tried not to look over at Aqua, and instead stared down at the table in front of him. His lawyer smiled smugly.

When called, Mr. Silver stepped up to make his opening statement.

"Hello." He said unctuously to the jury, smiling again. The jury nodded at him in return. "I come to you all today, with the sad story of a young man, whose life has been fraught with peril. The great Xehanort's son, Xemnas was born into privilege. He attended school in the land of departure, and was on his way to beginning a new life, when his home fell at the hands of a keyblade master, Eraqus. Because Xehanort was also a keyblade master, he and his son, Xemnas, were scapegoated. Xemnas found it hard to get work, even with his extensive education. Then, the tragic events in Hollow Bastion culminated with the young man losing his only brother. He decided to start a company to help the destitute of those living in the area surrounding Castle Oblivion, and those in The City That Never Was. He developed insurance, and a science division to improve the lives of the people he wanted to help, having dreams of building up an institution that would surpass anything that even _Shinra _could have been. But then, corruption got in the way of his dreams."

Mr. Silver took a pause at this point, for emphasis, sighed, and then continued. "The accused was the source of that corruption, making the success of Organization Thirteen impossible. The accused went unpunished, while Xemnas has served the past few years in jail… Now, the big question for you all to answer- for yourselves, is, who is really guilty? Who should be punished?"

Mr. Silver gathered his papers together, and sat back down, as Aqua stood up to make her opening statement. The man looked very pleased with himself, but Aqua stood tall, and went over to address the jury.

"Four years ago, Axel was a nineteen year old who'd just dropped out of college. He'd never regarded himself as very smart, and he didn't know what he wanted out of life. He didn't want to depend on his parents, so he went to a good friend of his, Saix, and asked for help. A few months later, Saix got him a job in the administrative division of Organization Thirteen. He was the eighth member to join. Axel was sent to 'Castle Oblivion', a hotel the Organization had acquired. Axel monitored his colleagues there, to see if they were doing their job, and he helped identify which members were 'traitorous' to the Organization. These members were also the ones who threatened the son of the Director of the Investigation Bureau. Their plans were thwarted because of Axel's help. Now that the Organization's criminal activity was being scrutinized further by outside eyes, things were beginning to crop up. Xion, a former intern at the company, was fired from the Organization, saddled with the accusation of theft of funds. Her dismissal was not documented anywhere in Organization Thirteen's files. In fact, it is as if Xion's time within the Organization did not even exist. This satisfied the world for a while. But now, Axel is being accused of a crime that had supposedly been solved years ago. I ask you all to review the evidence that will be given, and find for yourselves the truth."

Aqua sat back down at the end of her speech, noticing that Axel looked the slightest bit more hopeful than he had been before. The judge called for the prosecution's witnesses.

Mr. Silver stood up, and buttoned up his waistcoat, as if meaning business. "I call Larxene Lenera to the witness stand."

Larxene rose up, and went to the front of the court, over to the bailiff, and promised that she would tell the truth. Then, she sat down daintily, shooting an occasional glance at Axel.

Mr. Silver paced in front of her for a few seconds, and then stopped beside her, leaning on the witness box. "Larxene. I want to ask you a few questions about your time with Axel in Organization Thirteen. Can you answer them for me to the best of you ability?"

"Yes." Larxene replied. "I can."

Mr. Silver smiled. "That's fantastic," he said, nodding to himself. Then, he clapped his hands, and began the questioning.

"So, when did you join Organization Thirteen?"

"I was the twelfth member to join. Xigbar recruited me and showed me the ropes of the Organization. It was the first real job I'd ever had. I met Marluxia and Axel at that time. I trained the thirteenth member, Roxas, when he joined. Then, Marluxia, Axel, Vexen, Zexion, Lexaeus, and myself were all off to Castle Oblivion."

As Axel listened to Larxene, he kept becoming more and more surprised at how different her attitude was. She was acting unbelievably well behaved. Axel began to wonder just how much she wanted him to be put in jail. He'd first found out that she would be testifying against him the day before, and it had hurt him deeply. She had liked him before, after all.

"Had you conspired, previous to going to Castle Oblivion, to gain control of the Organization?"

Larxene shrugged. "Yeah, that was Marluxia's and my idea. But it was just an idea. Apparently, Saix had overheard us once and became worried. Because, you know, it would 'mess up' his and Axel's 'big plan'."

"And what was that big plan?" Mr. Silver asked. Larxene chuckled. "After I got finished with my jail sentence, I found out something interesting about Axel and his buddy, Saix, the second in command to Xemnas. Ever since the beginning, Saix and Axel had the idea of taking control of the Organization."

"Who told you this information?"

"Saix did."

Mr. Silver nodded at this, eyeing the jury briefly, before continuing. "Now, tell me… before Castle Oblivion, the thought of overtaking the Organization was a mere thought, am I correct?"

"Yes." Larxene replied. Mr. Silver nodded to himself. "And where did Axel come into the picture, in Castle Oblivion?"

"Axel told us he came to Castle Oblivion to 'monitor us'. He basically just found excuses for us all to get fired or arrested."

"Can you explain that?"

"Sure. First, it was Marluxia and I. We were talking with each other, saying that if we got the head of the Investigation Bureau on our side, we could coax Xemnas into giving both of us more power. Axel saw that, and he started egging us along. He wanted to get in on our 'plan', so I let him in. Then, the plan went from something small, like asking for help, to something huge, like taking advantage of the director's son, Sora, to get him on our side. Axel made it seem like going that way was the only way. Then, it was Zexion, Vexen and Lexaeus. When _they _saw that we were using Sora, they felt like they were being threatened, so they started making contact with Riku, to pull Sora away from us."

"Did Axel make it seem like you guys were out to get the older members?" Mr. Silver asked, and Larxene nodded.

"Definitely. He had a way of pitting them against us. He just had to meddle with things, get everyone to fight against each other while he just watched on the sidelines. First it was Vexen. Then, I was next. Then, it was Lexaeus. Then, Marluxia went to jail. By then, it was just Zexion and Axel. Because of Zexion's involvement with Riku, trying to get Riku to persuade Sora to help them out, Zexion was sent to jail. Axel planned it all out, giving himself a reason to slowly pick off the people in the Organization that he and Saix didn't like."

"And you don't know what happened after that?" Mr. Silver asked, and Larxene shook her head. "No further questioning." Mr. Silver said, and sat back down as Aqua stepped up to cross-examine Larxene.

"Larxene," Aqua began. "You said that from the beginning, you and Marluxia had the plan to overthrow the Organization. Why did you want to overthrow it?"

Larxene shrugged. "Because we wanted to."

"Did you not think that you would have been a better leader than Xemnas?" Aqua asked, and Larxene narrowed her eyes.

"No." Larxene said a little snippily. "That wasn't it at all. Axel made us think that way."

"You had a previous criminal record, did you not?" Aqua asked, and Larxene seemed surprised. "Yes."

"Marluxia did, too, didn't he?" Aqua asked, and Larxene shrugged. "I don't know." She muttered, and Aqua handed a small manila folder to the judge. "He did have a criminal record. May I show this to her?" Aqua added, pointing to Larxene, and the judge nodded.

"Look here. Marluxia was incarcerated once for suspicion of insurance fraud in his old job, and multiple times for identity theft when he was younger."

Larxene looked up at Aqua with a puzzled glare. "And?" she muttered. Aqua raised her attention back up to the whole room. "Isn't it a little strange that a young man with no experience in crime egged on a man and a woman with criminal records, one of which had extensive experience in his 'field'."

Larxene narrowed her eyes as she looked up at Aqua, pursing her lips ever so slightly. "I don't understand." She muttered, and Aqua nodded.

"I'll explain. Marluxia had been accused of two main crimes when he was younger- both crimes were to do with stealing money. Why would a man who had been incarcerated for insurance fraud work for a company that dealt partially in insurance? Why would he have even been hired? Why would you have been hired?"

Larxene's nostrils were flaring very slightly, and she shrugged quickly, looking defiantly away from Aqua. "Maybe Xemnas was just giving us a second chance."

"Maybe." Aqua said simply. Then, she turned around, back to Larxene. "I suppose he was also giving a chance to Axel, a boy without a college education."

Larxene looked steadily away.

"You hadn't even finished high school, had you?"

"I finished." Larxene snapped. "Xigbar helped me finish." She added, getting very uncomfortable. Mr. Silver looked like he was sweating bullets. Obviously things weren't going according to plan.

"Was that similarity between you and Axel something that attracted you to him?" Aqua asked, and Larxene snapped to attention, staring at Aqua with a strange, unintelligible expression. "I wasn't attracted to him." Larxene said dully, and Aqua walked closer to her. "Really?" she said in curiosity. "A good looking man like Axel, who seemed to have the same problems as you had, who was in the same position as you. Things were starting to go well for both of you, weren't they? Wouldn't that at least be something to connect over?"

Larxene looked ready to pop a nerve. She grinded her teeth as she averted her gaze from Aqua, staring at a place on the carpet so intently, she could have burned a hole through it.

"Can you answer my question?" Aqua said gently, and Larxene grimaced at her with bottled rage. "I suppose it would be something to connect over!" she hissed, to the surprise of the room. It seemed as though she was beginning to unhinge.

"Did you have feelings for him?" Aqua asked, and Larxene opened and closed her mouth, trying to censor her thoughts. "No!" she finally protested, but Aqua continued to draw conclusions for her.

"Was it true that you trusted him? Was it true that you didn't even dream that he was monitoring your actions at Castle Oblivion? Was that because he was bamboozling you, or was it perhaps just because you cared for him too much to believe that he was spying on you? Was it true that you and Marluxia had originally planned very concretely to take over the organization, and was it true that Axel asked what was going on, and you readily told him everything, because you trusted him?"

As Aqua spit out questions at Larxene, the blond haired woman looked about almost widely, trying desperately to object vocally to Aqua's masked accusations.

"And was it true that when you were sent to jail, and afterwards, when he showed no remorse for sending you to jail even though you had cared about him so much, was it true that you were very, very angry? Could that be a reason why you are testifying against him today? Could that be your motif?"

Larxene finally stood up, and banged her fists on the witness box. "I didn't come out of jail to be interrogated again! So what if I liked Axel? Everyone was taken with him! He had that effect on people! He was good at messing with people's minds and making them think that they were important to him!" she shouted, trying not to let her eyes tear up. "But he's not the only conniving one in the organization! All of us were!"

Mr. Silver slapped his palm to his forehead, and Axel tried not to grin.

Aqua stood silently in front of the witness box, looking calmly at Larxene as the blonde simmered down. Then, Aqua turned her back to Larxene, and addressed the rest of the room. "No further questioning." She said simply.

Larxene moved slowly out of the room, as if she was exhausted, as the judge gave Mr. Silver leave to call up his next witness. He stood up tiredly, trying not to look up at Xehanort.

"I call Saix up to the witness box." He said slowly, and the blue haired man walked down from the back of the hall in which the trail was being held.

He sat down with a stoic expression, and Mr. Silver shuffled his feet in concentration.

"Now." He started, sighing. "You were Xemnas' second in command, were you not?"

Saix nodded slowly.

"And you were apparently friends with Axel?"

"I was." Saix said coolly, and Mr. Silver nodded. "What was your plan, upon entering Organization Thirteen?"

"We were going to take it over." Saix said. "We had an elaborate plan set out. I created the plan, and Axel executed it. Or rather, he was _supposed _to execute it."

"Why do you say that?" Mr. Silver asked.

"Axel's agenda changed. He decided to mess things up by himself. When he felt like he couldn't handle it, he let all the blame fall on us, on me. His friend." Saix gritted his teeth ever so slightly, and looked over at Axel with cool contempt.

"Could you elaborate?" Mr. Silver replied. Saix nodded.

"Axel and I went into the organization with the idea of taking it over. I always made the plans, and Axel executed them. We were very good at using Xemnas' orders to our advantage. For example, I was the one who chose which members were to go to Castle Oblivion. I picked who Xemnas suspected of being traitorous already- namely Marluxia and Larxene. But we _also _picked the people who would have been suspect of our own actions. People who I knew would have gotten in our way were sent there for Axel to take care of."

"And who were they?"

"Vexen, Lexaeus, Zexion…"

"And when Axel came back, had he changed?"

"Yes. He started making friends with the girl Xion. He had originally been a friend to Roxas, but that fell by the wayside as our plans for the organization began to change."

Mr. Silver nodded. "Can you elaborate?"

"Yes." Saix replied. "Roxas, Xion, and Axel were the 'best of friends'. Our plan had been to _use _Roxas to get to the Investigation Bureau head's son, Sora. They possessed a certain _quality, _that tied them together."

"And what was that quality?"

"Roxas somehow gained possession of some very important data pertaining to Sora- and records in regards to his father."

"Can the jury see those records?" Mr. Silver asked, and Saix grinned. "They are private."

"How did Roxas gain possession of those records?"

"He didn't know." Saix said simply, and Mr. Silver nodded. Aqua narrowed her eyes, wondering what the documents were. The exchange between Saix and Mr. Silver was executed so artfully, that the jury seemed to latch onto their every word, believing everything. Aqua had never seen such an effect in court like that before.

"But Roxas was his own person. We needed someone who had no one to support them, who Roxas could confide in."

"You needed a puppet you could use to your advantage." Mr. Silver said for him, and Saix nodded, intensely satisfied with the statement. "Exactly."

"So you used Xion?" Mr. Silver added, and Saix nodded again. "We put her in charge of accounting, in the same position as Roxas was. As he began to confide in her, she gained information from him, and inadvertently gave it to us. We began to think that Roxas was more expendable than Xion. But, Xion was not worthy in the end." Saix murmured.

"Please elaborate." Mr. Silver replied. Saix sighed. "Roxas spoke to Xion about his life. He began talking about how he felt like he was missing a part of himself. He recognized a boy that he had never met before."

"Sora?" Mr. Silver asked, and Saix nodded. "He'd seen pictures of him before- and as I said, he had documentation that tied him to Sora." Saix's eyes shone as he spoke. Aqua didn't trust him at all. "There was a certain… _third party _of interest." He added.

Aqua racked her brains, trying desperately to think about the documentation that Roxas had. A memory floated back into her mind, one from Destiny Islands. She had been searching for her friends, and had come across two little boys, the same age as Ventus. One was named Riku, and the other was named Sora. They reminded her of Terra and Ventus. Sora reminded her so much of Ventus. She began to wonder if Ventus had met Sora before. Roxas had been Ventus' identical twin. So the only way that Roxas could have been connected to Sora was through Ventus. Aqua's head span as she wondered if Ventus had given something to Sora, or vice versa.

Was the third party they mentioned Ventus? Or was it Xehanort? Aqua remembered how Xehanort had been searching for the secret library in the college. He could never find it. Why else would Organization Thirteen have been so interested in Castle Oblivion?

When Roxas had said he felt as though a part of him was missing, he may have been subconsciously thinking of Ventus. But, what if Ventus left something in Castle Oblivion that Xemnas was looking for? Or if Sora remembered Ventus from his past, and Roxas shared near identical biological traits with Ventus, could those memories be a hold Roxas could have over Sora?

Aqua wondered if Mr. Silver knew any of these specifics, or if he was just playing along with Xehanort's pre thought out game. She clung to the sides of her table, trying to think of the way she would question Saix. All she had to do was take Axel out of the picture, and prove that nothing was his fault. She did not have to pin down Xehanort.

"When Xemnas fired Xion, and Roxas left, we had no one else to use to execute our plan. I gave up our plan soon after Roxas left. But Axel decided to keep it going. That was his true mistake. Meddling without anyone to cover his tracks." Saix hissed.

Mr. Silver nodded, chuckling. "Yes. I can only think that it's odd that Axel's only friends both left the Organization without so much as a goodbye to him."

"Axel has a strange idea of 'friends'." Saix muttered. Mr. Silver turned around, and smiled. "No further questioning."

Aqua stood up, and strode over to Saix, who watched her as she walked towards him.

"Saix, you were the seventh member to join the organization, am I correct?" Aqua asked. Saix nodded slowly, trying to anticipate what she would ask him next.

Aqua thought about things for a moment. Then, she looked up at Xehanort from the corner of her eyes. The two met each other's gaze, and held eyes for a moment. Then, Aqua turned her head towards Saix again, and continued.

"And who were the six members before you?" she asked. Saix narrowed his eyes further, and he seemed to be getting uncomfortable. It was a subtle change in body language, one that Aqua could barely make out. But she could see it. "Name them out for me, please?" Aqua asked politely, and Saix nodded stiffly, mechanically.

"There was Xaldin-"

"Can you name them in order?" Aqua asked, and Saix nodded again.

"Xemnas, Xigbar, Xaldin, Vexen, Lexaeus, and Zexion." Saix rattled off. Aqua nodded.

It seemed as if the whole room was holding its breath. Vanitas and Xehanort both leaned over their seats in extreme attentiveness.

"It's funny." She replied. Saix did not respond, so she continued. "His choice of members is just strange to me. I mean, they range in criminal record from gambling, to fraud, to theft, to a lack of a college education. And the other members, their story is even more intriguing." She added.

"What do you mean?" Saix said lowly, and Aqua sucked in a deep breath, in order to say what she was going to say. It seemed as if the whole room was holding its breath. Vanitas and Xehanort both leaned over their seats in extreme attentiveness.

"I mean, the sons, brothers, and nephews of all the scientists and assistants involved in the Hollow Bastion Massacre." Aqua finally stated. "Xemnas hired relatives of all of the people who helped his brother destroy a whole city."

The whole audience sucked in a collective breath as Aqua mentioned it, and they looked over at Xemnas suddenly, who sat stock straight. Saix stared at Aqua, surprised at the direction she had taken. He did not know what to say.

"It seems to me as though someone with Xemnas' kind of family history would only be looking for trouble making his first company a near carbon copy of the original perpetrators of one of the most heinous crimes in our history." Aqua chanced, and Saix clung onto the railings around his chair in agitation. "He chose us, didn't he?" he snapped, but Aqua rebuked him.

"Every single person in Organization Thirteen had a criminal record except for you and Axel. Xemnas could have very well chosen a different set of people to man a company that dealt with money."

"And what is the point of all this?" Mr. Silver piped up, but the judge put his hand up for the lawyer to stop talking, and for Aqua to continue.

"The point of this" Aqua began, looking straight at the jury, "is to figure out who we can trust. Working for Organization Thirteen, it seemed like no matter where you turned, someone was in the shadows waiting to trip you up. The deceptions of Castle Oblivion should have spurred Xemnas to clear out his old members and put in new, educated ones, but he continued on with his old cast of characters. Why, one can only guess." Aqua hissed. "But to come back after all these years, Saix, and blame the only man left that has not gone to jail on the whole crime- not even one of the people who haven't served- seems almost vengeful to me. Wouldn't you say it is vengeful?"

Saix shut his mouth tight, thinking hard about what he would say. "The truth is the truth." He stated simply, and said nothing else.

"No further questioning." Aqua stated. She sat back down as Saix was led from the courtroom.

The judge fanned himself, and so did the rest of the courtroom audience, as if they had been through an ordeal. Axel was still worried. It seemed as if Aqua's previous discrediting of the members of Organization Thirteen were all leading up to a certain point. He had a feeling that it was the security tape footage from Castle Oblivion and the Castle That Never Was. Somehow, evidence so concrete- and losable- scared Axel. Aqua was making it so that everything depended on the tapes.

"Aqua, you may call your witnesses up to the stand." The judge said, and Aqua stood up.

"I call Roxas up to the witness stand." Aqua stated. Roxas walked bravely up to the stand, sitting down nervously. Aqua stepped up, and walked towards him.

"Hi, Roxas" she said kindly. Roxas nodded, and waved at her.

"Roxas, how did you come to work for Organization Thirteen?"

"Well, I needed a job, because I'd just gotten into this academy and needed to help my parents with the tuition, and I came across Xemnas. It turned out it was in the same place I'd be going to school, and I interviewed, and I got the job."

"What was your first impression?"

"I mean, I came in and said hi to them all, and then Larxene taught me what my job was and all."

"And after that?"

"I started becoming friends with Axel. It was great, being around him. A lot of the other Organization Thirteen members were kind of scary, but Axel seemed cool."

"What happened when he went to Castle Oblivion?" Aqua asked. "I didn't know much of what was going on." Roxas started, "but after he went there, he came back different."

"What do you mean by that, Roxas?" Aqua asked. Roxas looked off, misty eyed, and smiled. "He said that meeting Sora had changed him. He seemed more… empathetic, after he'd come back."

"Why was that?" Aqua asked, and Roxas shrugged. "He was more invested in our friendship. We got along better. I think he had never really seen what a best friend could be like before." Roxas said fondly. Axel still felt the same pain in his chest whenever Roxas said something like that.

"What happened with you and Xion?" Aqua asked.

Roxas sighed, beginning. "A girl joined the Organization seven days after I did. Her name was Xion, and apparently she had no family. She was a bit shy at first, but when Axel went off to Castle Oblivion, I was lonely so I made friends with her. She was really nice." Roxas said sheepishly. "When Axel came back, he seemed kind of wary of her at first, but then, he began to warm up to her. We all used to sit on the clock tower eating together and eat ice cream."

"What happened towards the end of that summer?" Aqua asked. "Xemnas fired Xion. She was accused of stealing money from the company- but she hadn't done anything wrong. They sent Axel out after her to figure out what they could accuse her of officially, but he wouldn't do it. They just sent her off under wraps. Then, I left Organization Thirteen to figure out stuff for myself, and Axel seemed really sad. He convinced them that I should be given another chance."

"Another chance for what?"

"At a job. I had to find a new way to pay for the academy I was going to. I think Axel also missed me." Roxas said a little quieter.

"How did you know that?"

"He came back to find me. He really wanted to bring me back. But I told him we couldn't go back."

"Did he still look out for you?" Aqua asked, and Roxas nodded.

"When Sora was being targeted by the Organization, they had been trying to use me to get to him. Axel's goal was to look after me. He wanted to protect me."

"So, are you saying that the reason he meddled in the affairs of the Organization, was to help you?" Aqua asked, and Roxas nodded. "Yes."

"No further questioning." Aqua said. As she sat down, Mr. Silver stepped up to speak with Roxas himself.

"Roxas." He said simply, smiling at the boy. "How are you?"

Roxas looked puzzled, but he nodded. "Fine, thanks."

"So, you say that Axel was your best friend in the Organization?"

"Yes." Roxas said confidently.

"Did you know why Axel meddled in Castle Oblivion."

Roxas furrowed his eyebrows. "He was told to eliminate the traitors by Xemnas."

"Were Zexion and Lexaeus traitors?"

"He didn't get them sent to jail, that was Riku." Roxas replied. "Axel had nothing to do with those two. He dealt with Marluxia, Larxene, and Vexen."

"How do you know so much, Roxas?" Mr. Silver asked.

"Sora and Riku told me."

"Riku has had a habit of acting out of order before, showing off. How do you know he wasn't lying?"

"Riku doesn't lie." Roxas said gruffly.

"And apparently neither does Axel. Well, except for the way he dealt with Xion. He disappeared for ages didn't he, when he was given the job of 'disposing of her'?"

Roxas looked down at his hands, fidgeting. "But he didn't want to do it. It was his job."

"What about his plan to take over the Organization with Saix?"

"His plan must have changed, because that's not what he did at all." Roxas said bluntly. Mr. Silver narrowed his eyes at him, and pursed his lips.

"Axel was planning on taking over the Organization with Saix. If he could have 'disposed' of a friend like Xion so efficiently, dumped a love interest like Larxene, and forgotten a friend like Saix so abruptly, what do you think was special about the relationship between you two?" Mr. Silver said. Roxas blinked at him, and then looked down, blushing madly. Mr. Silver's lips curled up into a grin, and he leaned in closer to Roxas.

"Did he love you?" he sneered, and Aqua jumped up. "Objection!" she shouted. "How is this relevant?" the judge let Mr. Silver proceed.

"Did he love you?" Mr. Silver asked. Roxas hesitated, opening and closing his mouth like a fish. "So let's assume he did." Mr. Silver said. He turned his back to Roxas, and paced, fabricating events for the boy.

"You join the Organization, and make friends with a charming young man who you think you can trust- who, by the way has seemingly charmed everyone into thinking he is good as ever- and he tells you that he loves you. You believe him, and he begins to use you as a shield for his bad deeds, to give people the impression that he was not completely unfeeling."

Roxas looked incredibly hurt, but he struggled to respond. "That's not the way it was at all." He blubbered, getting highly embarrassed.

"Were you two in a sexual relationship?" Mr. Silver asked, and Roxas gaped. "N-no!" he sputtered, shaking his head wildly. Xion was sitting in the back of the room.

"You seem very hesitant in your answers, Roxas? Could Axel have deceived you too? Are you still letting yourself defend a man like him?"

"He's my friend." Roxas said simply, looking down at his hands again. Mr. Silver turned to the jury. "It seems like Axel charmed many people. Right now, though, it seems like Roxas is the only one who hasn't realized it yet. Can such a naïve boy be trusted to give testimony? No further questioning." Mr. Silver sat down, and Aqua looked at Roxas, trying not to appear disappointed. The boy stepped tiredly from the witness box, and looked at Xion in shame. The girl looked at him with a puzzled expression, and exited the courtroom. Roxas followed after her.

Aqua stepped up once more, and turned to the audience.

"My last piece of evidence is being authenticated by Detective Drillo of the Land of Departure. He has been so kind as to give me numerous pieces of footage from the security tapes of Castle Oblivion and The Castle That Never Was- tapes that were originally thought to have been destroyed." She added in satisfaction. Then, she waited, and Mr. Silver looked ahead smugly.

There was a pause, and Aqua began to become nervous. She stood up, and raised her hand. "I request a short recess."

"Granted." The judge said, and he slammed his gavel onto the block. "Court dismissed for ten minutes."

Aqua jumped up, and exited the courtroom, fuming. Croc was sitting outside the courtroom, as if he had been waiting for her. He looked rooted to the spot he was sitting at.

"Croc, get in there." Aqua snapped, but Croc smiled up at her oddly. "Sorry, darlin'. No can do." He said simply. Aqua sighed audibly, closing her eyes for a moment to regain her composure. "Why not?"

"I can't disclose that information." Croc replied. As Aqua stared at his face, trying to see any motivation for his sudden disinterest in the case, she noticed that he could not meet her eye at all. It wasn't like him. "Well remember that paper I had you sign in the interrogation room?" Aqua hissed, and Croc shrugged. "That means you have to be on that stand, in five minutes, to authenticate these tapes!"

"I will not do it, Aqua. Get another investigator to witness."

"I have to cite the source- and having you up on that witness box as the source means I've got this! You said you would help me!"

"I can't do it now. Things have changed."

Aqua sighed heavily, and shrugged. "Fine. I'll send for the interrogation room tapes."

People began to file back into the courtroom, so Aqua turned away from Croc, and went back inside, seating herself beside Axel. He looked worried. "What happened?" he asked, and Aqua shrugged. "Nothing. Just a hiccup. Don't worry."

The judge walked back into the courtroom, sat down, and proclaimed the court back in session.

Aqua stood up, and went up to the judge. "I've lost the witness who was acting as the source of these tapes, Detective Drillo. But, they have been authenticated by the police station, and we will be able to view a select few, important key elements of these tapes."

As she said this, another police officer ran into the courtroom. He went over to Aqua and tapped her on the shoulder. "The tapes are gone." He said quickly, and Aqua's eyebrows flew up. "Are you serious?" she said incredulously. The police officer nodded. "Yes, they're completely gone."

Mr. Silver heard this, and he sat back, breathing out a deep sigh of relief. The judge looked at Aqua and the policeman. "What is wrong?"

Aqua turned to the judge, and moved closer to him. "It seems that the security tapes have disappeared, sir." She said surprisingly coolly. "But if you'll let me use a copy of the tapes I've created, with the help of a friend of mine, the head of the investigation bureau, I think you'll find that nothing has been tampered with." She said.

The judge rubbed his chin. "They'll need to be re-authenticated. And shown beforehand, in my presence." The judge added, and Aqua nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Court dismissed, till tomorrow at 1 o'clock." The judge said loudly, and banged his gavel on the sound block one more time. Aqua rubbed her forehead, thankful that she had made numerous copies of the tapes. Then, she remembered how she had given one to Lightning.

The judge went over to Aqua, and patted her on the shoulder. "You will need to leave the flash drive here over night."

Aqua looked over at him in fear. "What do you mean?"

"The examiners can check the format and everything tonight, and we can view it tomorrow at nine." He said. Aqua stopped him again. "Sir, I can't do that. I know that something will happen to the flash drive."

"Our security is fine." He said in return, but Aqua stopped him one more time. "Sir, I have a friend in the Investigation Bureau- Lightning Farron. I gave her a copy of the tapes for safekeeping. Do you think that I could have her authenticate the copy at the headquarters over night, just in case something happens to the flash drive here?" Aqua asked, and the judge snorted. "Well, if you insist, yes, that could be done. But she'll have to come here and speak as a witness, to show that the copy is authentic and usable."

Aqua breathed a sigh of relief, and nodded. "Thank you, sir." She said happily, and went back to Axel. "I think that things are going to be okay." She commented. Axel chuckled. "I hope so."

"Don't you trust me?" Aqua asked boldly, and Axel smiled at her. "Yeah, I do."

She smiled back, and they exited the courtroom together.

…..

Vanitas stood, leaning against the hood of Xehanort's car. He was in his regular chauffer attire, and he fixed his sunglasses over his eyes. He was getting riled up again; he needed to take his medicine. But Xehanort wouldn't let him take it in public. He had needed a higher dosage every day, now. He wasn't even keeping track of how much time he had left any more.

Xehanort filed out of the building, and down to the car, where Vanitas opened the door for him. "That girl has come back to haunt me!" Xehanort snarled, slamming his cane against the floor of the car. Vanitas stared ahead as he drove. "But it is good that we have her. I have been able to control her once, and perhaps I can do it again." He said in a far off way. Vanitas gripped his handle on the steering wheel, breathing out heavily but silently.

"Vanitas, I want you to give her a warning."

"What kind of a warning, sir?" Vanitas said coolly, and Xehanort smiled. "You know what I'm talking about, Vanitas. I thought it would only be right to give you the pleasure of doing the job."

Vanitas' blood curdled as he became angry, yet excited.

"If she brings in those tapes tomorrow, I'll know that Xemnas' case is useless. Then, I'll let you do as you like."

"Yes sir." Vanitas hissed, and he pressed his foot down on the steering wheel, to escape the traffic that was building up behind them.

….

Xion and Roxas sat in his parent's living room silently. They didn't look at each other. Xion looked nervous, but Roxas seemed miserable. He wiped at his eyes, which he'd said were 'itchy'.

"Do you love Axel?" Xion blurted out, and Roxas looked up at her with an exasperated expression. "Xion, of course I do."

Xion stared at Roxas for a second, gulped, and stood up pacing. Roxas couldn't understand for a moment, but then he put his face in his hands, and sighed deeply. "I don't mean in a sexual way, Xion. He was my best friend. He still is."

"Why did that lawyer say you two were having sex? Why did you react to him like that?" Xion asked, and Roxas kneaded his palms. "Be- that was, that was be- it was just- now…." He blubbered, waving his hands wildly in front of him as if to defend himself. Then, he finally flung them up in the air, and let them land at his sides. "I give up." He mumbled, and his shoulders sagged down in defeat.

"We almost had sex once, Xion." He mumbled, waiting for Xion to respond. She just looked at him expectantly, so he continued with deep reluctance.

"I'll tell you the truth, Xion." He murmured. "Axel liked me ever since I joined the Organization. He always flirted with me before, and I used to think it was a joke, and then I _hoped _it was a joke… but it wasn't. Then, one day, after all the stuff with Organization Thirteen and Sora ended, he finally made a move at me. And I told him if he found you, he could try to make me fall in love with him. Well, I said he could definitely have sex with me- if he found you." Roxas fumbled, blushing madly. "And, I thought it would be impossible, but he found you. And then, I told him we could have sex. But I wasn't enjoying it so he stopped and told me it was all good."

Xion smiled wistfully. "I knew that he did it for you… I guess I didn't _fully _realize all the specifics… so, you didn't have sex with him while we were together?" she said in a worried tone, and Roxas shook his head. "And you aren't in love with him- sexually?" she added, and Roxas shook his head again. "No."

Xion smiled, and went over and kissed Roxas on the cheek, sitting beside him. "I'm sorry that lawyer did that to you. That was cruel."

"Yeah, airing my private life to the whole court." Roxas mumbled. "I'm just glad there was no one I knew there. Like Hayner, and Olette, and Pence. All them. That would have been awful."

"Well, you don't have to worry about it now, Roxas. It's over." Xion still looked distressed.

"What's wrong, now?" Roxas asked, and Xion shrugged. "I'm just worried about Namine. She's been gone for a few days, now. They say after forty eight hours…"

"Don't think about that, Xion." Roxas replied, and rubbed Xion's shoulders. She looked out the window, thinking about things.

She had always had Roxas, but who did Namine have? She had always been alone. Maybe Leon would have looked after her, if things had gone differently. But she was still alone. And nobody knew where she was.

…

Vanitas sat down beside the huge darkness extraction machine in the basement, which hummed relentlessly. He had an array of notes in front of him, which he had extracted from various books in the section of the library that was forbidden to him. He'd discovered countless information on many different subjects, all of which didn't help him at all.

None of the princesses of heart would help him, because the light in them was aggressive. It would kill him. There was no one else he could get to. Except Ventus. If he could extract all the light from Ventus, into himself, then he would be whole.

Vanitas rubbed his face with his hands, shaking. Then, he reached for the medication he kept with him constantly, and injected a small supply into his arm.

He felt reasonably calmed down, and his concentration had increased. He stood up, and exited the basement, getting ready to pay a visit to Aqua.

A shining bright new motorcycle was waiting for him on the outskirt of the city, and he swung his leg over it, and sat down, turning it on. An almost inaudible humming sound drifted up from the wheels, and he cringed as he thought of how much it sounded like the machine in the basement. The ride was going to be over three hours.

"Well, let's see what happens." He hissed, and began to drive. As he drove past what used to be the twin peaks of the Land of Departure, he saluted them, cackling to himself. He veered closer to the outskirts of town, and found himself reaching the Badlands, where the Keyblade Graveyard was. The Badlands stretched on for miles, emptying themselves out into a desert wasteland that had been unoccupied by humans for thousands of years.

The tops of key blades gleamed up at Vanitas, and the young man tried not to look at them as he drove on past them, staying on the outskirts of the region so that he drew as little attention to himself as possible. He would eventually _have _to go into the bowels of the region to get to Disney City, but he would delay that as long as possible.

Wind whipped up through the wasteland, and threw itself into Vanitas' line of view, forcing him to stop. He tried to calm down, and stepped off the bike, hiding it behind a crevice in the mountain ridge he was on. Then, he went down to the graveyard.

It was an unbelievable taboo to even _dream _of extracting one of the key blades from the ground. They had taken almost a godlike presence within the area, and it was said that if someone touched them, a dark hole would be opened up, revealing a portal into a place of unbelievable darkness. Vanitas chuckled, and strolled over to the mass of key blades. He looked around at them with his arms folded behind his back, and spotted one that drew his attention.

It wasn't anything special; just one of the ancient, 'standard' styles of key blades that had settled in the graveyard. The handle jutted out from the ground, and a small portion of the blade, which had a circular whole in the middle of it, peeked out from under the soil. Ventus examined it, and closed his hand around its handle. Then, he took a deep breath, feeling insurmountable anger reaching up through him like fire. With a sudden burst of wretched strength, Vanitas ripped the keyblade out of the ground, and swung it around at the others around it, striking them down too. The wind blew at him violently, howling, but he continued knocking more and more down, until he was so exhausted he could barely stand. He sat down in the middle of the mess he had created, and looked up at the sky, chuckling.

After a few moments of sitting down, he stood back up to retrieve his motorcycle and continue his journey. But, as he looked around at the mess he had created, he became curious, and sad. They had been there so much longer than him. These metal things had reached thousands of years farther than any human's existence, untouched and unbroken. It wasn't fair.

In a sudden bout of intense curiosity, Vanitas peered into one of the holes that had been left by a key blade he had knocked over. It was narrow enough for him just to put his finger in, and even so, he couldn't touch the bottom of the hole. He thought about the stories, and grinned, standing up and patting the sand out of his trousers. Then, he put the key blades back where they belonged, and recommenced his journey, leaving the weapons as they had looked before, untouched, rooted in the ground.

….

Aqua sat near the window, looking out into the rain that had just started to fall. Her insides seemed like they had moved themselves upside down, she was so nervous. She had wild visions of herself coming to the courtroom tomorrow with no copies of the tapes left. She had built her whole case around those tapes, trying to defend Axel's character, and then use that character to prove the tapes. It was a gamble, but Aqua had had faith in herself to pull through.

She sighed, and looked at her phone to see if she'd gotten any messages, but there was nothing. She had called Lightning earlier to see if she could authenticate the tapes on the flash drive Aqua had given her, and Lightning said that she would be there with the drive the next day, for the trial. Aqua knew Xehanort would try to tamper with the case every step of the way. She just wondered how long it would be before he targeted her outright.

She finally sighed, and stretched her back out, pulling her arms up over her head, before relaxing.

"Long day?" she heard a familiar voice say behind her. She immediately jumped into a defensive position. When she saw who was in front of her, her blood ran cold.

The young man leaned against the all, grinning at her. He twirled a flash drive around his fingers. "This is cool." He said, looking at it as he spun it around on his index finger. "This will probably win you the case." He added.

"I didn't know you were stupid enough to run around here without a mask on, Vanitas." Aqua hissed, and Vanitas chuckled. "What's the point in hiding? You know who I am, Aqua."

"I'd forgotten. I thought you were dead." She hissed. Vanitas smiled at her, his eyes shining.

"I always had a respect for you." Vanitas said suddenly, stopping the flash drive in his hand. "You were always the strongest, most level headed out of all three. Ventus was a baby, and so was Terra, in a way. So naïve." He added. "He'd listen to anything if it sounded good. That's why he got so confused."

"I could never understand what the big deal with Ventus was, you know?" Vanitas added. Aqua glared at him as he spoke.

"I mean, I was better than him in _every _respect. I was a better fighter, I was stronger, and I was smarter… I don't get what I didn't have."

"You were only a half, Vanitas." Aqua hissed, and Vanitas tilted his head at her, smiling sweetly again. "That hurts."

"Why are you here?" Aqua snapped.

Vanitas shrugged. "I just want you to know where we stand. Here, I'm going to give this to you, for safe keeping." He said, flinging the flash drive at Aqua, who caught it easily. "Because I know you're the smart one. Now, if you decide to take this into court tomorrow, I might think differently. I'll let you try to imagine what shit will happen if you try to win this case. I'll leave it to you to guess." He snarled, advancing towards Aqua until they were at a foot's distance from one another. Aqua looked into Vanitas' eyes, which had turned from a startling crystalline yellow to a duller shade.

"Vanitas, you were always the most naïve out of all of us." Aqua murmured, and Vanitas stared at her. Then, his face contorted into a grimace, and he backed away from her, trying not to do to her what he had almost done to Sora.

"This is all I'll say, Aqua." The young man warned. "You decide."

With that, he fled through the window. Aqua ran over to the window to see where he had gone, but he had already disappeared when she looked outside. "Shit!" she thought to herself, banging her fist on the windowsill. She hadn't expected Vanitas to just run like that. It wasn't like him.

"There's something wrong with you, Vanitas." She thought to herself, remembering the time he had been defeated by Ventus. The wretched, hopeless look on his face. It had been almost heartbreakingly pitiful in a strange way.

But there was no doubt that Vanitas was dangerous. Aqua wondered what would happen if she brought the tapes in tomorrow. Vanitas would probably drive her out himself. But then again, maybe he knew something about Terra. Maybe Terra was still alive. But then again, putting Xemnas away was the first step to getting Xehanort. Aqua had to stand up for herself, for her friends. She couldn't give up on Axel.

…

Lightning flipped through the pages of Eraqus' and Ansem's journals, trying to formulate a theory on the masked boy.

Yen Sid had said he didn't think Vanitas had much longer to live, if he was still alive.

Vanitas. Emptiness. Futility. False pride. Foolishness. A symbol of the inevitability of death. The tiny boy that used to be Bertrand Decker seemed to have been aptly named. A shell that was inserted with a part of Ventus; used as a temporary holding box for a growing darkness mingled with a consciousness that could take a person over.

But if Bertrand Decker, a tiny, sweet, oblivious boy, had turned into Vanitas, a conniving and cruel ambassador to Xehanort, was it really Bertrand's personality that was causing him to be like this? Or was it the darkness in Ventus shining through?

Obviously, Vanitas couldn't survive on his own. If, as Ventus had explained, Vanitas held painful emotions wrought from a separation from Ventus, and heartless venom caused a certain 'numbness' of the moral compass, perhaps Vanitas was using it to lengthen his life. Lightning was brought out of her dreamy thought process, and actually thought about the proposition. It made sense. An ailment of the soul could only be given medicine that targeted the soul. Heartless venom did that.

"But if all the heartless are gone… and he's running out of medication…" Lightning said to herself, and shook her head in slight excitement.

Just as she was flipping through more pages, Reno trudged into the room, and sat down. "Hey, what are you doing now?" he asked. "Just trying to figure Bertrand out."

"What have you got so far?" Reno asked, and Lightning shrugged. "Well, he was adopted by Xehanort as a young boy to be a 'vessel' for the darkness in Ventus. Then, when he 'failed', he was plagued by painful emotions that came from being separated from Ventus. He needed to take heartless venom to numb the emotions, but since heartless venom is running out, he's running out of medication."

"Do you think he'll go crazy?" Reno asked. Lightning looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, is that why he's taking the medication?"

"I don't know why he's taking it, Reno. This is all conjecture, anyway. There's no proof."

"You said that he was plagued by painful emotions. You know what you were telling me Ventus said?" Reno asked. "About the dog leg amputation?"

Lightning snorted, but Reno seemed dead serious. "Yes, I remember, Reno." Lightning replied.

"Well, if a part of Vanitas was dying, because the darkness from Ventus was separated from the light, then it's like a person dying of a broken heart, right?"

Lightning looked at Reno blankly, but he kept going.

"When you're separated from someone that became so important to you that they became a _part _of you, you wouldn't be able to live without them. Or, rather, you couldn't be on your own. You'd need someone to _fix _you. Vanitas is looking for that fix." Reno explained. Lightning nodded to herself, but didn't know where he was going.

"He didn't take Kairi's light, right? Because it was aggressive! When someone is sick and sad, they don't need someone aggressive trying to take care of them, they need someone calm, and caring, and quiet. Someone who listens, right?"

"I don't understand a word you are saying, Reno." Lightning said bluntly, but Reno waved her off.

"What I am trying to say is that Vanitas obviously needs a different type of 'light'. One that accepts the darkness in him, and doesn't try to fight it. He needs a quiet light."

Lightning thought about it, and frowned. "But where would he find a quiet light? What is a quiet light?" she mumbled, and Reno shrugged. "Heck, if I know." He mumbled, leaning back a little bit. Lightning looked at his neck as he tilted his head back, letting his eyes close. "Are you getting tired?" she asked, and Reno shrugged. "I'm just being a baby."

There was a pause for a moment, as Lightning examined Reno more closely. He reminded her of Snow, her sister's husband. She'd hated Snow. But maybe that was because she hadn't given him a chance. After all, Reno was alright.

"But, anyway, if Vanitas is dying, he's going to target someone else besides Kairi, right? And if he gets desperate enough, he may try to do that thingy he did with Ventus again."

"The transfer of consciousness?" Lightning said, and Reno nodded. "Exactly. Then Ventus will be the empty shell. The kid might even die."

"If Vanitas tried to extract light from inside Kairi, and failed, and she's okay, then the machine doesn't kill. If Vanitas just took some of the light from Ventus, then Ventus would be okay, right?"

"I don't know." Reno replied. "Kairi was a 'princess of light' or whatever. Special. Before the Vanitas thing, Ventus was just a normal kid, with light _and _dark inside him. I think it'd be a different outcome."

"So you think Ventus is in danger?" Lightning asked, and Reno nodded. "Unbelievable danger. If that machine is up and functional, and that Bertrand kid is down to his last straw, he'll get Ventus."

Lightning looked at Reno for a moment, and smiled. "You are really smart, Reno."

It took a few moments for Reno to process what he was hearing, but when he did, a huge grin broke out across his face. "Thanks, Lightning." He said, in a chuffed way, and sat back in his chair.

Lightning watched the way his eyelashes fluttered up and down as he looked down at his tie, messing with it. He turned his head to the side, and looked off aimlessly, like a bored kid. He finally caught Lightning's eye, surprised to find that she was looking straight at him. She jolted out of reverie, and swiftly averted her gaze, pretending to be engrossed by the journal in front of her. Reno chuckled. "You inspecting me?" he asked. Lightning couldn't sense if there was any flirting in that statement- there likely was, but it seemed to her like a genuine joke.

"Nah, I was just… looking…" Lightning coughed, and wiped a few hairs away from her face. A shadow passed over her, and when she looked up again, Reno kissed her lightly on the forehead. When Reno parted his lips from her temple, he stepped back, and both of them looked at each other sheepishly, not knowing what to do. Reno chuckled. "And here I was thinking I was a ladies man."

A quiet permeated the room as the two stared fondly at one another. Lightning had never felt so calm and collected before. "I'm glad that I took on this job- with you. I needed to get away from where I was for a while." She murmured. Reno pulled up a chair beside her and sat down. "You could always stay here for more than just awhile." He tried. Lightning chuckled.

"I don't know how things are going to turn out. I need to go back there again and sort things out."

Reno sighed, and sat back, irritated. "There's always something to sort out, huh? I guess I need to start sorting what family I've got left out." He chuckled, and shook his head. "I guess I should have stuck around for Axel more, looked after him more. Maybe he wouldn't have turned out the way he has, stuck in all this mess."

Lightning shrugged, shaking her head. "Things happen, Reno. You can't tell. You just really can't tell."

"So you're going to court tomorrow for Aqua?" Reno asked, and Lightning nodded. "Absolutely. Maybe you can look after Ventus for me. Try not to attract attention, though. If we could trap the kid, that would be perfect."

Reno nodded, but he fidgeted, as if something was on his mind. He spun around a little on the swivel chair he was sitting on, before wheeling closer to Lightning. He bent in close to her, very slowly, and watched her the whole time, as if she was going to escape if he closed his eyes. Lightning stayed motionless as his face came closer to hers, and when his lips brushed against hers, she let him kiss her. Slowly, he reached his hands up under her hair, and held either side of her face, kissing her harder. Lightning fought with herself, wanting to leave her eyes open so he couldn't see her blush, but wanting to close them so she would not miss the moment. She would be mortified if he knew that that had been her first kiss.

Reno pulled back, and looked at her suspiciously. "You were very… _stoic._" He tried, rethinking his word choice. "What do you mean?" Lightning asked, and Reno shrugged. "You just kind of… sat there, doing nothing. There was no response. Was that uncalled for?" he added abruptly, looking worried, but Lightning shook her head. "No, it was fine, Reno."

"Just fine?"

"Well…"

"Not anything better than fine?"

"It was alright."

"Just alright?" Reno barked, as if he'd been mortally wounded. Lightning tried to turn away from him to hide her pinking cheeks. "It was good!" she snapped. "It was very nice- it was satisfying, I don't know. We need to work!" she added, rubbing her temple. She had spent so much time trying to look after her sister, and work and educate herself, that she had let any chance of anything pass her by. For all these years, she had let no one in, not even her own sister. And now she had paid the price. She had been alone for a long time.

"Hey, Lightning?" Reno asked quietly. "Are you alright?"

"Yes." Lightning said, hurting. But she turned back to him with a stoic expression. "I'm afraid that I was thinking about other things. I'm sorry." She added, looking down at her palms. Reno shrugged. "I understand. It's an important case."

"Do you think he'll be looking for other victims?" Lightning asked, and Reno nodded. "Yes. But I don't have the faintest idea who."

Lightning mulled things over in her mind. She sat, skimming through journals for over an hour, trying to figure it out. But thoughts of Reno kept drifting through her mind, impeding and upsetting her.

Finally, as she was drifting off, Lightning began to think about things that Yen Sid had told her.

"_Namine was adopted by Organization Thirteen. They noticed that she had only light inside her already, but the light was strange, different than that of the Seven Princesses of heart. Instead of destroying darkness, it was able to stay separate from it, coexisting with it."_

"_Namine's light seems to be a more evolved version of Kairi's light, as the darkness in Vanitas is an evolved form of Ventus' darkness."_

Lightning slapped her hand to her forehead, sighing. "It's Namine."

"Who?" Reno asked, and Lightning turned around to look at him in excitement. "It's the girl named Namine! She was adopted…" rather than telling Reno the whole story herself, Lightning flipped to the pages in Ansem's journal where he explained Namine, and showed the book to Reno. "Here. Look at these pages."

Reno read over it, and nodded to himself. "You think she's the 'quiet light'?"

"Everything the book, and what Yen Sid told me, points towards her being the one."

"So he's going to target her." Reno thought to himself. "And since she's not exactly a princess of heart, we don't know what would happen to her if she was put into that machine."

"She could die." Lightning said warily. They both looked at each other once more, and then they both jumped up to make calls. "I'll enquire about Namine, you talk to Roxas about Ventus." Lightning said, and Reno nodded.

After Lightning had dialed Roxas' number, she waited for the phone to ring, and Roxas' mother picked up. She told Roxas' mother, father, and Roxas himself, about the threat that Ventus was under. Lightning didn't know whether it was right for her to tell Ventus what he was up against. She decided to call Aqua.

"Hello?" Aqua said curiously when she answered, and Lightning sighed. "Aqua, I'm going to make this short. We think Vanitas might target Ventus. He needs to be protected. I'm going to put Reno in charge of him. We think we've found who Vanitas might go for besides him."

"Who would that be?" Aqua asked.

"Namine. You might not know her. She was adopted by Organization Thirteen." Lightning elaborated.

"Yeah, I remember her. We wanted to use her for testimony in Axel's trial. Her foster father wouldn't let her though."

"Why not?" Lightning asked. "He just didn't want her to. But, I think she's disappeared." Aqua added.

"Lightning?" Reno said quietly, and Lightning whipped around to him.

"We've got bad news."

"What is it, Reno?" Lightning inquired, thinking that she knew the answer already.

Reno sighed, and said thank you, before hanging up the phone.

"Namine's gone."

…

Aqua stood outside the judge's office, waiting to be let in. Finally, she noticed Lightning walking down the hall towards her. The pink haired woman waved amicably, and Aqua waved back, nervous.

"Things alright?" Lightning asked, and Aqua shrugged. "Right as they'll ever be. Do you have the authentication data on the flash drive?"

"Yep." Lightning replied. "I did it myself."

"Are you okay with standing as a witness?" Aqua asked. Lightning shrugged. "I have nothing to lose."

The judge opened up the door, and let everyone inside, seating himself at his desk. There was a small television set up beside his desk. "Do you have the flash drive?"

"There's a delay at the vault where it was kept." Aqua said, knowing what had happened to the flash drive. "But, I have another copy, the one which was authenticated by this investigator, Lightning Farron."

Lightning stepped forward, bowing to the judge. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." She said curtly, and shook his hand. The man seemed impressed. "Are you the investigator and war hero from Pulse?" he asked, and Lightning nodded. The judge beamed. "Well, I've heard good things about you, but I can't be too partial!" he chuckled. "Please, have a seat. Let's watch these tapes."

Aqua nodded, and asked Lightning for the flash drive. Then, she plugged it into a computer that was hooked up to the television. Aqua looked out the door to the office once more, to see if the man who had stored away her flash drive in a vault to be authenticated was coming. But it didn't matter. He'd probably been intercepted.

The tapes started, and Aqua pointed out which key tapes she would be showing.

"I believe in total I've got two hours. The court is going to be in for the long haul." She added, chuckling, but the judge continued to look at the tapes silently. The quality of the films had been enhanced. It made Aqua wonder if Lightning was doing this to please her, so she would continue to stand by them in their crusade to root out Vanitas.

After two hours of viewing, the tapes finally ended, and the judge sighed to himself. "Are they alright?" Aqua asked worriedly, but the judge waved her off. "It's not that." He said quietly. "It just seems that you hit the jackpot in terms of evidence."

Aqua smiled and stood up to shake the judge's hand. "Thank you for the time." She said graciously, and unplugged the computer and television, and stored the flash drive safely. "If this one goes missing, it will be the third."

"I'll give you leave to hold it. But you will have to be supervised." The judge said. Aqua shrugged. "That is fine by me."

Aqua looked up, and found that it was about 11:30. She had just enough time to get Axel and eat something before the trial. "Would you like to come to lunch with me?" Aqua asked Lightning, and the woman nodded. "We can talk about things." Aqua added.

As they filed out of the office, Aqua's eyes were drawn to the far end of the hallway. The light that came through the window above shone on a young man, dressed all in black, with the occasionally dotting of red on his person. His hair was pulled back behind a black cap, but his face was bare, though he kept his head bent down.

As the dark young man raised his head up slowly, Aqua could see a dim yellow shining forth from underneath his eyelashes, until he looked at her dead on, and her heart nearly stopped.

Vanitas stared at her for a deafening moment that seemed to go on for too long. Then, he grinned at her maliciously, and broke his gaze, disappearing down the hall. Before thinking of anything else, Aqua rushed after him, causing Lightning to pursue her.

"Aqua, what are you doing?" Lightning called, but Aqua continued to follow Vanitas, who slipped in and out of hallways like a sly cat in an alleyway. When she finally thought she had caught up with him, the hall emptied out into a crowded lobby, and she lost him.

"Dammit!" she growled, and looked earnestly around the crowd. When she felt a tap on her shoulder, she knew that it was Lightning. "What the hell just happened?" the pink haired woman said lowly. Aqua turned around to face her.

"He's going to do something." Aqua said. "I think he's going to go after Ventus." She added, slamming her palm to her temple. She hadn't even thought about it. "I'm an idiot." She said in a shaky voice. Then, Aqua paused for a moment, before trying to bolt out into the lobby, getting pulled back by Lightning.

"It's okay Aqua!" Lightning said to her. "Reno is monitoring Ventus. Anything Vanitas tries to do, Reno will stop him."

Aqua flared her nostrils in and out in deep anger and worry, but nodded. "Fine. I should be out there helping him-"

"I trust Reno." Lightning said. "And besides, after I witness, I'm going to go straight back to him."

"Alright." Aqua said, relaxing a little bit. Lightning smiled at her. "You've just got to get Xemnas back where he belongs."

"Yeah."

Lightning patted Aqua on the shoulder, and then they walked back the way they came, so that Aqua could pick up some things.

Lightning watched Aqua's back as the woman walked ahead of her, and started dialing a number on her phone. Reno picked up shortly, and said hello.

"Hi, Vanitas is coming your way." Lightning murmured, as Aqua walked into the room where she had kept her bag and coat.

"_Really?"_

"Yep. We've got him where we want him."

"_Lightning, don't underestimate this kid."_

"Come on, Reno. He's falling apart, he's slipping up."

"_That doesn't mean he's not dangerous." _

"I am not going to let this opportunity pass us by, Reno." Lightning hissed, and she thought she heard Reno sigh across the phone.

"_You think that this is another war or something? That 'desperate times call for desperate measures'? I'm done using other human beings to my advantage. I did it once, but never again."_

"Reno, if you listen to me, you could get a chance to prove yourself. I'm certain that Ventus won't be hurt."

There was a pause across the phone. Then, Reno said 'okay' in a gruff voice, and promptly hung up. Lightning clicked the 'end call' button on her phone in satisfaction just as Aqua came out from the room with her coat and bag. "Everything alright?" Aqua asked, and Lightning nodded.

"Perfect. Everything is perfect."


	20. Defeat

**Hold on tight, readers, this chapter is intense. Enjoy! **

The gavel came down on the sounding block, and Aqua stood up, and looked around the courtroom surrounding her.

"I call up Lightning Farron to authenticate and explain the nature of the tapes covering security footage of Castle Oblivion and the Castle That Never Was."

As Aqua said this, Lightning stood up, and moved up to the front, towards the witness box. She seated herself comfortably, and looked out at the audience coolly.

"Lightning, can you explain briefly who you are?"

Lightning nodded, and took a breath in to begin. "I was previously a member of the Guardian Corps of Cocoon, before I joined a revolution that took back the country from the Sanctum. After that, I became a chief investigator in the Planet."

"What did you use to authenticate the tapes?"

"It's a program that has been introduced into the Investigation Bureau's authentication computers. It's a more advanced version of the program in most police stations."

"And what can this authentication device decipher?"

"To put things plainly, it deciphers the type of tape, how old it is, and if it has been tampered with."

"What did you find out about these tapes?"

"They were taken on the standard T-30 recorder- the same recorder that was documented as having been used to take the security footage in Castle Oblivion and the Castle That Never Was."

"How old was the footage?"

"The eldest is almost three and a half years old- the first set spans from near the beginning of the creation of Organization Thirteen to its end, and the second set documents the events at Castle Oblivion, also from its beginning to its end."

"Have the tapes been tampered with?"

"There are very faint signs of tampering." Lightning said. "And more obvious- missing tapes. But, these signs may be from wear and tear. The tapes are old."

"What parts of the tapes were tampered with, and what tapes are missing?"

"The missing tapes are scattered. The possible tampering occurs all around a few select places."

"And what places are they?" Aqua asked.

"In Castle Oblivion, there is footage of a hallway that has frame damage. Whether this is environmental or manual damage is hard to say. Also, the tapes of Xemnas' office in the Castle That Never Was exhibit frame damage."

Lightning looked out at the audience coolly as she said this, as everyone went a little bit quieter. Xehanort looked furious.

"So what you're saying is, there is no tampering around any of the other tapes?" Aqua asked, and Lightning nodded surely. "No."

As Aqua sat down, Mr. Silver jumped up to question Lightning. The woman answered everything he had to say coolly and efficiently, with not a hint of discomfort in her voice. Aqua looked on the spectacle with pride, and thankfulness that she had met the woman.

When it came time for Aqua to roll the tapes, she stepped up, clicked on the television, and let them roll. The whole courtroom sat silently, watching them with rapt attention.

Lightning did not stay to watch the tapes, and neither did Vanitas.

…..

Riku sat up in Roxas' room with Ventus, slinging rubber bands from Roxas' desk onto the ceiling. Ventus was getting irritated, and he narrowed his eyes as he looked at Riku, until he finally reached out and grabbed the boy's arm, to stop him from slinging another one.

"What's the problem?" Riku asked, and Ventus blinked out at him, with bags under his eyes. "I am trying to relax." He said lowly, and shivered. Riku looked worried. "Are you alright?" the silver haired boy asked, and Ventus nodded. "I don't know what's happening to me. I'm going crazier than I ever was before. I keep dreaming about Vanitas." He added, moaning a little bit. He seemed scared to bits, as he chewed his finger nails sore.

"Stop that." Riku snapped, pulling Ventus' hands away from his face, and he could feel the boy shaking.

There was the sound of feet trodding up the stairs, and Reno poked his head in the door. "Hey, buddy." He said to Ventus, who stared at him expressionlessly.

"Do you want to go out for a walk or something?" Reno asked, trying not to sound rehearsed. "Shake all this bad energy off?"

As Ventus shrugged, Reno's chest became tighter. He felt as though he was leading the boy to his death.

Just as Reno opened his mouth to call off the walk, the front door creaked open, and then slammed shut downstairs, and Lightning ran up the stairs, and waltzed into the bedroom. "Hello, Ventus." She said brightly, strolling over to him. "The case is looking really good for Axel, thanks to Aqua. She's doing a great job."

Ventus shrugged, and looked out the window. Lightning smiled at him. "You want to go outside?"

"Will you guys walk with me?" he asked, and Lightning nodded. "Of course."

"I'll go with you guys." Riku said, but Lightning held her hand up to his chest, stopping him gently. "Could you stay here for when Roxas gets back? I don't know if Vanitas will come by the house or not."

Riku narrowed his eyes at Lightning, irritated. "I'd like to stay with Ventus." He said snippily. Lightning smiled. "Don't worry about him. We're trained investigators. We'll make sure he's alright." She turned to Reno, signaling for him to follow her. "Let's go." She said. Reno suddenly felt the need to stay at the house, but he nodded anyway. "Alright."

Ventus slipped off of the bed slowly, and followed Lightning down the stairs and out the door.

As Reno closed the front door behind them, Lightning stopped him, and whispered in his ear. "Let him walk ahead of you. Don't crowd him. We've got to offer minimal leeway for Vanitas to try and strike."

"I don't think we should be doing this." Reno mumbled. Lightning sighed. "No turning back now."

Lightning eyed the alleyways around them as Ventus walked ahead. "You want to go to the store or something?" Lightning asked. "Get something to eat?"

Ventus seemed to be getting more confident as he walked; Lightning's laid-back tone of voice was putting him at ease. He nodded, and the three of them walked towards the store.

Lightning strutted forward, pretending to be oblivious and confident. She was anticipating that Vanitas' reckless behavior due to his 'falling apart' would make him use the predictable tactic of targeting the kid in a crowded place. It seemed like his only choice, with Ventus being guarded by an Investigation Bureau officer. But Reno didn't know if a kid as desperate as Vanitas would be afraid of a confrontation with an officer.

Reno stayed near the pay counter, and Lightning waited subtly close to the entrance of the store, letting Ventus wander through it. As Reno waited, he became more and more nervous, like he needed to get back to Roxas' house. Finally, he wrote down a note for Lightning, and slipped it to her, pretending to make a round of the store. Then, he slipped out the back of the store, and bolted down the winding alleyways, hoping that Vanitas wasn't anywhere near him.

He charged up to the back door into the apartment, and looked on in horror as a black figure slipped into the window of Ventus' room. He tried to run as quietly as he could up the stairs, but he abandoned that thought when he remembered that Riku was in the house alone.

As he bashed through the door into Roxas' room, Vanitas bent down over Riku, whom he had held down. A phone was near him, and Reno had a pretty clear idea of whom Vanitas was going to call. Vanitas looked up at him, grimacing, and seemed to abandon the phone idea. Reno held up his gun to Vanitas. "Stand down! Don't do anything rash, or I will shoot your ass!"

Vanitas looked back and forth in panic, before reaching quickly into his pocket, and pulling out a syringe full of black fluid, jabbing it into Riku's neck. Riku convulsed briefly, and began to breath raggedly, struggling within himself. "Lie the fuck down!" Reno roared, and Vanitas laughed.

"You can waste your time trying to arrest me, or you can get this poor fuck to a doctor. He's got heartless venom in him, and it doesn't take long for it to work."

Reno gulped, hesitating, leaving just enough time for Vanitas to dash out the window. Reno shot at him in vain, and then turned to Riku with wild eyes. Riku grinned up at him in pain.

"Don't worry about me. I can last for as long as I need. I've built up a short term tolerance to this stuff."

"What does short term tolerance mean?" Reno said dully, and Riku glared at him in irritation. "It means that in a few hours I will need a **damn antidote to this shit**!" he shouted. "But right now, Roxas is coming home, and so is Ventus!"

Reno nodded, patted Riku on the shoulder, and put the phone beside him. "Have a blast." He said, and Riku began to dial a number.

Reno bolted out the front door again, and charged in the direction that Vanitas had gone. He hoped that Lightning hadn't lead him down a short cut in the vain attempt to 'trap' Vanitas. Reno dialed Roxas' number quickly, and the boy picked up. "Don't go home!" Reno shouted. "No time for questions, call the police!"

He then attempted to call Lightning. He got the answering machine, and picked up his pace, running silently down the alleyways, hoping that the small gun he held in his hands would protect him against Vanitas, who moved with a swiftness that Reno couldn't quite comprehend.

Reno wondered if Vanitas was waiting for him, and became more cautious as he ran. He thought he saw Vanitas' black hair flash a few yards ahead of him, and he ran faster, pushing himself to his limit.

There were familiar voices ahead of him, a scream that was Ventus, and Lightning's not so calm voice. He tried to sneak forward, but Vanitas knew that he had been followed. Reno screamed as he noticed Vanitas striking Lightning, taking her gun from her. Then, he pointed it at Lightning.

"Don't move, Ventus." Vanitas sneered. "You don't want another casualty because of you, right?"

Ventus' eyes widened in horror. "Who else?" he said shakily, and Vanitas shrugged. "Your friend Riku was inconveniencing me."

Ventus' eyes welled up with tears, and he put his hands over his face in agony. Vanitas turned to Reno with a steady glare.

"Now, I know you'd hate to have your girlfriend shot, so I want you to cooperate. Him for her." He added.

Reno tried desperately to think of another solution, but Lightning nodded at him, and he put his gun down. "Alright, we'll do what you want, kid." He mumbled, and Vanitas' chest moved up and down faster. He looked close to some sort of edge, one that would consume him in some sort of torturous agony if he fell over it. With eyes constantly on Lightning and Reno, Vanitas pulled Ventus over to his motorcycle. When the boy was seated, Vanitas began to relax, and Lightning and Reno shared a glance.

Then, Reno dug his feet into the ground as if he was lunging forward, and ducked, but Vanitas saw through this attempt at a distraction, and blocked Lightning's fist as it raced towards his head. Lightning quickly took another hit at him, punching him in the gut and making him drop his gun.

Vanitas crouched down, grinding his teeth, as Lightning struck at him, and Ventus saw a glint of silver coming out of his pocket.

"Lightning! Move back!" he screamed, and the syringe Vanitas held in his hand barely grazed Lightning's neck as she moved back to block herself. Ventus grabbed Vanitas by the hair, and yanked his head back, making Vanitas lose grip of his syringe. Ducking down, Lightning grabbed her gun, and whipped it around to point at Vanitas, who was struggling with Ventus.

"Get down, Vanitas!" Lightning hissed, but Vanitas pressed a button on a bracelet on his arm, and his motorcycle revved up, slicing in between him and Lightning. He threw himself and Ventus on to it, and whizzed down a side lane.

"Fuck!" Reno snapped as Lightning stood up, panting. "We almost had him."

"It's my fault, Reno." Lightning sighed. "I was an idiot. I should have assumed he would come to the house. I won't make mistakes like that again."

"Can we follow him?" Reno asked, and Lightning shook her head. "Not on foot. But if you called someone, they should be blocking off the area. Maybe we still have a chance if we move fast."

Reno nodded, and went over to Lightning, patting her on the back. She looked tired.

"I just hope that Ventus can look after himself." Lightning mumbled. Reno nodded.

…..

As Ventus and Vanitas drove down the side roads, Vanitas' breathing became more ragged. Ventus was acting strangely calm, which scared him. Moments later, Vanitas couldn't take it anymore. He stopped the motorcycle, hopped off of it, and paced back and forth, reaching in his pockets, closing his hands around the familiar metal that he pierced into his body everyday. But something wasn't there.

"-The fuck?" Vanitas growled to himself, and stopped, looking at Ventus, who held up the small vial he was searching for. The shine of the black fluid gleaned in the twilight, and Ventus glared at Vanitas.

"You looking for this?" he asked, and Vanitas' eyes nearly bulged out of his head. "How did you-?"

"You weren't even paying attention." Ventus hissed.

Vanitas looked horrified. He slowly put his hand forward, and smiled weakly at Ventus.

"Alright, Ventus. Come on, that belongs to me. Give it back, would you?"

"You killed my friend." Ventus snarled, twirling the vial in his hands.

"I didn't kill Riku!" Vanitas corrected nervously. "He's had dealings with heartless in the past- I'm sure he can deal with this. I think I heard him say that he was fine for a few hours, alright?" Vanitas added. Ventus stared at him coldly. "You don't know how much I have suffered," Vanitas hissed. "Don't you think I deserve any shred of a happy ending?" he added.

Ventus stared at him for a few moments. Then, his mouth turned up into a grin. "No." he stated simply. Then, he let the vial fall to the ground. When it smashed, he stepped on the glass with his foot, took it away, and spit on the black fluid that was seeping into the ground around it. Vanitas stared at it, and began to hyperventilate.

"That was the last one I had." He stuttered, looking up at Ventus in rage. "That was the last fucking one I had here!" he shrieked. "I can't get more unless I go back to Xehanort- and I can't-!"

Vanitas looked at Ventus with bitter vehemence, and took a step forward.

"Let's settle this again, Vanitas," Ventus replied with a shaky voice, trying to stand tall. "I'll kick your ass again."

"You know I'm stronger than you, dumbass. I'll kill you right here." Vanitas hissed, trying to stop his body from convulsing. The sounds of ambulance sirens rang out from behind Vanitas, who looked around in desperation, but stayed rooted to the ground.

"Fight me, Vanitas! We'll prove who the real fake is!" Ventus roared, and Vanitas' head clicked around. Any sense of reality left him at that point, and he breathed out deeply. Grinning maliciously and cracked his neck, Vanitas flexing the ragged muscles in his arms. "Let's go."

Ventus and Vanitas charged at one another seconds that seemed to drag on in anticipation, until their bodies crumpled in on each other. They struggled with each other, their arms moving up and down each other's bodies, trying to gain hold. Vanitas' strength played to his advantage in this close contact, and he gained control of Ventus quickly, forcing him down to the ground. Ventus kicked swiftly up at Vanitas, who dodged him, swaying a little bit.

"Come on, Vanitas. I thought you were fast." Ventus mocked. "Are you falling apart? Will Xehanort have to put you down if you go back?"

Vanitas charged back at him, but Ventus stayed cool, gracefully striking at Vanitas over and over again, going in and out of Vanitas' range with ease. Vanitas was wearing down quickly, and the minute he put his guard down, Ventus smashed his fist into the boy's tan face, sending him down to the ground. Sweat dripped off of Ventus' face as he stared down at Vanitas, who coughed and sputtered, wheezing in pain.

Ventus paced back and forth, waiting for Vanitas to get back up. "Are you trying to make the X-blade again?" Ventus asked, and Vanitas shook his head. "What are you doing then?"

The clock tower in Twilight Town rang out the hour, and Vanitas' attention was drawn to it. He stared up at the setting sun in terror, and pulled himself up, pushing past Ventus and heaping himself over his motorcycle.

"I can't let you go, Vanitas." Ventus murmured, putting his hands on the handlebars of the motorcycle. "You're going to go after someone else."

As Ventus' fingers grazed Vanitas' hands, a jolt of energy traveled through Vanitas. He bent his head down, and tried not to crumple over. "Vanitas." Ventus snapped, shaking him. Then, Ventus felt his phone ring in his pocket, and he dug in it to get it out, answering it. "Hey, Reno." He mumbled. "He's here. I'm fine."

Vanitas tried to move his arms, but it seemed as if his body was not working properly. He relaxed his tensed muscles, taking a break as the sounds of police sirens reached closer and closer to them. Ventus looked at him coolly, but Vanitas refused to meet his gaze. "They'll be here in a few seconds. I hope you have good excuses for all the shit you've caused." Ventus added.

"How did you know I had that stuff?" Vanitas asked suddenly, and Ventus shrugged. "I dream your dreams."

Vanitas' head bent low again, and his fists tightened around the handlebars in front of him until his knuckles turned white. "I hate you." He whispered, and forced himself to use his muscles again.

The sounds of running feet and parking cars came closer and closer to them, and Vanitas pressed the autopilot button on his motorcycle. Then, he revved it up, and sped off, maneuvering between two cops that were running towards him. Ventus looked shocked as Lightning and Reno charged towards him.

"My, fuck!" Reno said tiredly, patting Ventus on the back. "Thanks for saving your ass, kid. We would have hated to lose you."

"Occasionally I can look after myself." Ventus murmured, and Reno chuckled, putting his hands in his pockets.

Ventus looked at the place where Vanitas had been. "Was I his sole target?"

"Nope." Reno replied. "He's going to go after Namine next, or he's dead meat. We may solve two cases in one day."

"Let's hope." Ventus said in exhaustion.

….

The bells on the clock tower tolled just as Aqua drove home with Axel. "Well, I expect that tomorrow should be our last day. Xemnas might even want to drop the case after all that footage." She added. Axel sighed, sitting back.

"Are you alright, Axel?" she asked, and he shrugged. "I'm fine. I think we'll win after all."

Aqua's phone rang, and she grabbed at it, answering it. "Hello?" she answered.

"_It's Lightning. There was an attempted kidnapping of Ventus by Vanitas."_

"Is he alright?" Aqua said frantically.

"_He's fine. He did a great job, you should be proud. Better than either of us." _Lightning added as if in shame, but Aqua laughed. "I'm sure you're just putting yourself down. I'm coming straight away!"

Aqua sighed, and laughed again for good measure. Something inside her told her that her problems with Vanitas were coming to a close.

….

Xehanort sat at his office in a rage, waiting for Kadaj to come in. The young man made his way into the office, and Xehanort beckoned for him to sit in front of him.

"What is it that you needed, sir?" Kadaj asked, and Xehanort chuckled. "I am a fool, Kadaj. I have surrounded myself with weaklings." He hissed. Kadaj stirred uncomfortably as Xehanort stood up and paced towards the window, looking out of it.

"Vanitas has failed us. The case against Axel we have attempted to build is crumbling. I cannot count on that boy anymore."

"What are you going to do about it, sir?" Kadaj asked, and Xehanort chuckled. "I think that Vanitas does not have much time left. If we hand him over to the authorities in such a frenzied state, they will be satisfied with the murders, Vanitas will die, and the string connecting myself to my past will be severed."

"I thought you would let him die peacefully, sir." Kadaj said uncomfortably.

"That boy means nothing to me. The least he can do is repay me for all the mistakes he has made." Xehanort hissed. "I will forgive him when he is rotting in a cell."

Kadaj nodded, and took the folder Xehanort had left for him. In it were various pieces of information on Vanitas, including fingerprints and DNA samples.

"Make his invisible tracks visible, Kadaj." Xehanort said simply, and Kadaj exited the room.

…

Vanitas sat near the machine, sick with pain. He tried to force his brain to work, try to get it to think up something, anything, but nothing came to mind. He wanted desperately to fall asleep, his bones felt like they were sinking down into the ground below him. But, he forced himself up, and tried to think again. This was his last chance.

There had to have been someone.

It wasn't Kairi, or Aqua, or Xion, or any of the princesses of heart, or any other girl it seemed. But there was one other name that lied on the tip of Vanitas' tongue, silent.

Xemnas had spoken to Xehanort of a girl that they had found. A girl named Namine. She was supposedly a lot like Kairi. She had a power that couldn't be fathomed by anyone. She was used by the Organization against Sora.

Vanitas knew nothing about the girl, except for the fact that she had been adopted by Marluxia, and the fact that the girl had run away from him. He only needed to find out where she was hiding. He couldn't test her to see if she was what he needed, because he'd ran out of heartless medicine. He would have to bring her to the machine and hope for the best.

Vanitas knew he didn't have the right to pray to anyone or anything. The only person in the world he had that he could count on was Xehanort- and that notion was dwindling in his mind.

"I guess I'll count on you, Namine." He whispered hoarsely to himself.

Vanitas boarded his motorcycle, and raced off into the night. He figured that where he would find Marluxia, he would be able to find Namine.

…

Marluxia tapped his fingers on his kitchen table, looking down in his reflection in the coffee in front of him. Namine had been away from him for an unforgivably long time. The police seemed to have scoured everywhere, but they could not locate where she was.

Marluxia thought about Namine, the way she was. Sora, and Kairi, and Riku had captivated Namine when she was told about them. The Organization's power had lain in the fact that Namine wished that she was Kairi in a way, therefore she was able to replace Kairi with herself in order to control Sora. Perhaps the logical thing for Namine to do would be to hide in a place that was dear to Sora.

There was an island off the mainland that had been very important to Sora and his friends when they were younger. It was the last searchable place Marluxia could think of that Namine would be at.

Marluxia jumped up from his chair, and grabbed his coat, going out into a heavy rain that had descended earlier in the night. His anger was mounting, and he knew that this time would be the last time that Namine played him for a fool. He had given her chance and chance again before, but she had let him down. Now she would pay for it.

He made his way to the docks, the trees behind him blowing in the wind, making their own shadows look like the silhouettes of monsters, swaying back and forth, following close behind Marluxia. He felt as though he was being watched, and looked around him ever so often.

He came upon his own boat at the dock, and jumped into it, rowing off towards the island in frenzy. The waves were becoming higher and higher, but Marluxia pushed forward, refusing to look at the shore behind him. All he could do was forge ahead.

When Marluxia came upon the island's shore, he pulled his boat up by its dock, and jumped off, descending onto the sand of the island. He then began to search around, flicking on his flashlight.

As he looked around, he himself began to grow afraid. The rain whipped back and forth, howling with the crashing waves, whose depths held secrets unseen by any human eye. Marluxia averted his gaze, and stared ahead, going into the deep undergrowth that engulfed the island. He scoured the expanse of the island, before coming upon a waterfall. He shone his flashlight through it, and thought that he noticed a hollow behind it. He chuckled to himself, and began to speak.

"Namine." He murmured. "I know you're here. Come out for me. Come out right now." He hissed.

Namine crouched in the cave, silent and pinned up against a wall of stone. Her heart beat like a hammer as she searched in vain for an escape. Marluxia's flashlight came closer and closer, until it shone in the cave, its warm light landing on her feet.

Namine ground her fingers into her palms, her hands shaking, and prepared for Marluxia to come in. He set one foot inside the cave, and then the other, and as he peered in, Namine attacked him, clawing at his face and biting at him, hitting and kicking with all her might. He fell back in surprise as she hit him in the face and neck, but he quickly pushed her back into the cave wall behind her.

"You little bitch!" he snarled at her, lunging at her as she screamed as loudly as she could. She tried to kick him away, but he pinned her legs down with his knees, looking up at her with gritted teeth. He grabbed her arms, and mashed them into the ground as she continued to scream, trying her best to bite at him.

"I can't believe I didn't think of this earlier." Marluxia hissed, moving his hand up under her skirt, and pulling her underwear down. "You always wanted to be Kairi, didn't you? Of course you'd pick this spot. You are nothing. You're just a shadow of her." He hissed, and Namine hiccupped as she cried. Marluxia smiled and bent down to kiss Namine.

As Namine tried to look anywhere but Marluxia, she noticed a shadow from near the waterfall unglue itself from the wall, stalking closer and closer to them. Her eyes widened in fear, and she bit Marluxia's lip to get his attention. He just slapped her thigh hard, continuing to kiss her as the shadow drew nearer and nearer. Two shining yellow eyes blinked out from inside it, bloodshot and wide with a mad quality. It drew up closer until it was right behind Marluxia, and then it made a quick movement, and Marluxia gagged, and coughed suddenly, pulling back from Namine. His eyelids fluttered up and down as he tried to figure out what was going on, and the dark figure reached its arm around his neck. Namine put her hands over her eyes as she heard Marluxia gurgle and slump over. She tried to scream, but the black figure was upon her, still holding the knife he had used to cut Marluxia's neck.

"Come with me." He hissed, and Namine tried to claw at him, screaming for him to get away from her. He quickly knocked her out, and grabbed her, lifting her up over his shoulder. Then, he moved as quickly as he could towards Marluxia's boat, hopping into it, and rowing furiously towards the mainland with Namine beside him. When he got there, he loaded her onto the motorcycle he had waiting near the dock, and they both rode off silently into the night.

…

Namine woke up to the sound of a howling wind different from the one she had known in Destiny Islands, and rubbed her eyes tiredly, looking around. In front of her was a great, white machine, which hummed softly. A young, tan man with jet-black hair was toggling with it and Namine noticed that there was some blood on his hands. She looked around the cave she was now in, memories flooding back into her. Noticing that her clothing had a tremendous amount of blood on it, Namine ripped it off of her in disgust, throwing it aside. The young man whipped his head around when he heard this and stopped Namine just as she tried to dash out of the cave.

"You're not going anywhere." He said tiredly, leaning into Namine with all his weight to stop her from going any farther away from him. She tried to struggle against him again, and he sighed, wishing that he would be given a break. "I'm not going to hurt you." He finally shouted, and Namine stopped struggling momentarily, pulling back to look at him.

"Why did you kill Marluxia?" she asked shakily, and Vanitas shrugged. "He was in my way."

"Why do you want me?" she asked. Vanitas looked up at the machine, and then back at her.

"Do you have light inside you? Light and only light?"

"I don't know."

"We're going to find out. You're my last hope to survive. That's why I couldn't waste any time with that man last night. He was slowing me down, so I got rid of him." Vanitas muttered.

"It wasn't because of what he was doing?" Namine murmured, and Vanitas' eyes widened in a fit of intense emotion. "Did you want it to be because of that?" he asked, pulling away from her. He seemed to be in horrific pain, like he would collapse at any moment. Namine felt sorry for him. "So I can help you?" she asked shakily, and Vanitas nodded. "Yes."

Namine paused, thinking about things. After momentary silence, she looked back up at him.

"Then I will." Namine said shakily, nodding. "Because you saved me."

Vanitas blinked out at her incredulously, and shook his head with a sad chuckle. "Get in the machine." He mumbled, and Namine obeyed, lying down on the tray of the right side of the machine. Vanitas messed with the control panel, set it on go, and then trudged towards the machine, nearly dumping himself on the other tray. He pushed Namine's trey into the machine, and then pushed his own in.

The doors in front of the trays shut, and a spray descended around the two of them. Namine felt like something inside her was becoming more relaxed, and she fluttered in and out of sleep, wondering if it was a dream when thick tubes slithered out from the walls and into her neck. In the compartment beside her, Vanitas looked up in deep agony and anticipation, his eyes looking like those of a tiny lost child. He did not seem like the killer who had ended Marluxia's life a few hours ago. Namine noticed a shining white fluid leaving her neck and move into the left side compartment into Vanitas' neck. He convulsed slightly as it was put inside him, but it seemed as if he was fighting to stay awake. The process ended, and Namine felt light headed and weak, as the trays automatically went out of the machine and the spray dissipated. She slid off of her tray onto the ground, and grabbed Vanitas' arm, shaking him. His eyelashes fluttered, and he looked back and forth as if not knowing where he was.

Namine slid him off of his tray, and looked down at him in curiosity and fear. He convulsed slightly, sucking in shallow breaths and looking around wildly.

The young man in front of Namine seemed to possess a strange innocence that baffled her. She couldn't quite tell what it was, but it was some sort of naiveté that appeared to be clouding his vision. Perhaps it was the same as believing unconditionally in someone, like she had done with Sora and Axel.

Time passed by indefinitely, and Namine looked out the mouth of the cave, gaping in awe when she saw the expansive desert land in front of her. Down in its valley, were hoards of keyblades spread out in all directions, separated by what looked like a crossroads. It was unlike anything Namine had ever seen before.

There was a stirring behind Namine, and as she turned around, Vanitas attempted to stand up, swaying back and forth before falling to the ground. Namine rushed over to him, trying to catch him, but he hit the ground before she could get close enough to break his fall.

"Are you feeling any better now?" she asked, and Vanitas looked up at her with a puzzled expression.

"Why are you still here?" he asked, and Namine shrugged. "I didn't really want to leave you on your own out here. So…" she blushed unsurely, and scratched the back of her head, not knowing what else to say. Vanitas' lips curled up in irritation. She was so… _light. _

"Do you want me to drop you off somewhere?" Vanitas sneered, and Namine looked over at him with narrowed eyes. "I could tell people what happened to me. I could run right now, and you wouldn't be able to stop me." She added dangerously. Vanitas pursed his lips, trying to see if she was bluffing or not. She stared at him steadily, so he gave in, and sighed. "Is there something you want from me?"

"Why did you kidnap me and put me in this machine? I want to know everything about you, from the time you were born to this very second."

"Why is it so important for you to know?" he growled, trying to stand up, but he couldn't.

"I just have to know!"

"Fine, Fine" Vanitas muttered, holding his hands up in surrender. He suddenly felt immensely uncomfortable. He felt strange, like there were two heartbeats overlapping his own- Ventus's, and now Namine's.

"I was born Ber… ber… I know it started with a 'b'", he reasoned, scratching his head. "Bertrand, that's it." He remembered.

"Hello, Bertrand." Namine said quietly.

Vanitas looked up at her with a suspicious expression, but he could feel inside himself for some reason that she wasn't trying to trick him in any way. He sighed, shrugging.

"I was adopted by Xehanort from a home for the mentally disabled- because I was neutral. I had no light or dark inside me, I was empty. When darkness was put in me, I became different, stronger. I was meant to make this X-Blade capable of 'ruling the world' with a guy like Ventus."

"I think I know this story." Namine said quietly, and Vanitas stared at her incredulously. "How would you know it?"

"Xemnas told it to me." Namine murmured.

Vanitas stared at her for a moment, before deciding to continue. "Well, you know all of that. So, in the meantime, I've been doing Xehanort's bidding. He's all I have, so I might as well stick around."

"You've killed other people?" Namine asked, and Vanitas smirked. "I did all of Xehanort's dirty work. I didn't feel any remorse, either." He added. Namine furrowed her eyebrows. "But you seem so sweet."

Vanitas stared at her again, and broke out laughing, falling back onto the ground. He laughed till he cried, and laughed more when Namine went over to see if he was alright. He felt strange and weightless, like he was being suspended in the air.

"I've been called a lot of things in my life, but 'sweet' has never been one of them." He chuckled, wiping his eyes. "No, I'm not sweet. I'm a snake. I'm a murderer." He added, trailing off. He didn't know how he'd felt about what he did now.

The two sat in silence for a moment, and Namine crossed her legs, sitting up straighter. "I suppose I'll tell you about myself." She said quietly, sighing in contentment. "I was born far away from here, in Gehstalia. Through an unfortunate series of events, I was carried from orphanage to orphanage until I ended up in The Land That Never Was, where Marluxia adopted me. He's been after me for a while now."

Vanitas looked at Namine oddly. He could feel wisps of her thoughts floating around in his head. It was so strange that he hardly knew what to do.

"Well, I guess we're both products of the environment we were born into." Vanitas added, chuckling. "I guess I must really look pitiful right now, since you don't seem to be the slightest bit scared of me."

"Are you going to go back to Xehanort?" Namine asked, and Vanitas hesitated, before nodding.

"Maybe Xehanort is your Marluxia. If you don't get away from him, he'll continue to use you." Namine whispered. "You can't trust someone who only hurts you."

There was silence again, and the two sat together, taking in how they felt. Vanitas sighed. "Sorry, I've made you sad."

"How'd you know I was sad?" Namine asked nervously. Vanitas shrugged. "You're a part of me, now, like Ventus. You're sad; he's calm and slightly confused. Can't say why, though."

"How does the darkness in you feel?" Namine added serenely.

"I'll always hurt. Just probably not as bad as before." Vanitas murmured. Namine seemed fascinating. He was constantly wondering if she knew more than she appeared to. She probably did. How else could she have been so calm, knowing what he'd done? There was something about her that reminded him of the college in the Land Of Departure.

"Looks like I'll be incapacitated for a few more hours." Vanitas mumbled. Namine didn't respond, she just looked out the mouth of the cave silently, thinking deeply.

…..

As Axel stepped up to the witness stand, Xemnas looked up at his father, who seemed to be livid. Everything had gone completely wrong.

"What happened next, Axel?" Aqua asked, and Axel took a deep breath.

"I joined the Organization." He started. "Saix and I did originally have the plan to take it over. But, when Roxas joined the Organization, I was interested. I reached out to him, and we were beginning to become friends when I left for Castle Oblivion."

"Why did you reach out to him?" Aqua asked. Axel shrugged, blushing a little bit. "I don't know. He looked like he was kind of lost. He reminded me of myself when I was his age, I guess… like I didn't really know what was in front of me…"

"So he reminded you of yourself? Is that all?" Aqua asked. Axel sighed. "Well, he was good looking, too. I was interested!"

"But you quickly found that he was like you. It was a connection, right? Is that what made you two friends?"

"Yeah, I guess. I mean, he started talking about things that I'd never thought about before. He was a deeper hearted person then I'd ever met before."

"Even your friend Saix?"

"Saix was a good friend… he was just… different." Axel said softly.

"He was intellectual, right?" Aqua said. "But you could never talk about what was on your heart with him."

"Yeah." Axel mumbled. "That was the thing with a lot of the people in Organization Thirteen."

"So, you were away from Roxas, what happened in Castle Oblivion?"

"I carried out the plans of Xemnas and Saix. I eliminated Marluxia and Larxene so that they wouldn't attempt to take Sora. I eliminated Vexen for our own plans, and Riku ended up eliminating Lexaeus and Zexion on his own. Then, I went back to Organization Thirteen."

"What had happened while you were gone?" Aqua asked.

"Roxas had made friends with Xion. I was jealous. I thought that Roxas was my friend. I was worried he wouldn't like me as much anymore."

"But he welcomed you back into the friend group, and all three of you became close."

"Yeah." Axel replied. "We were all good friends."

"And then Xemnas told you to frame Xion for the Organizations dirty work." Aqua stated, and Axel nodded.

"She was speaking with the guy named Riku, and then she and I were fighting, and everything began to go wrong when she figured out what the organization wanted to do to her. And they told me to go and frame one of my best friends." Axel snapped.

"You didn't want to frame her?" Aqua asked.

Axel looked at her sadly, shaking his head. "Of course not. We were friends. I'd never had friends like them before. I wanted to keep that balance."

"So when Xion abruptly quit, and Roxas followed suit, you had no one left? How did you cope without your only friends?" Aqua asked.

"I began to hate the people in the Organization, including myself. I tried to get Roxas back, but he wouldn't come back. So, I decided to meddle with the Organization again. I went undercover, I got on Sora's side, helped him out a little bit."

"And you kidnapped Kairi." Aqua added. Axel shrugged. "I knew that kidnapping Kairi would bring me closer to Sora, who at the time had Roxas around. I ended up fighting on Sora's side."

"You got pretty beat up because of it at one point." Aqua added. Axel nodded uncomfortably, like he didn't want to talk about that moment, like it was private. "Yeah, we were fighting nobodies. But I wanted to show Roxas that I wasn't a complete jerk. I did everything for him."

"No further questioning." Aqua said, and went back to her seat as Mr. Silver stepped up, moving towards Axel.

"So, you say that you were friends with Roxas?" Mr. Silver said. "That's your reasoning for your 'good deeds' to the organization that 'wronged' you and your friend?"

Axel nodded.

"If you were such good friends with Xion, why did you let her go so abruptly?" Mr. Silver asked. Axel sighed. "Because I wasn't as good a friend to her as I was to Roxas. She went out of everyone's minds."

"And someone just poofs out of everyone's memory when they leave?" Mr. Silver asked rhetorically. Axel sat in silence, not knowing what the man was trying to do.

"You are a very, very intelligent young man. The excuse that you didn't have any college education is a good one for someone trying to meddle inconspicuously. But you did it expertly, didn't you?" Mr. Silver said coolly. Axel didn't respond, so Mr. Silver went on.

"I do not believe that a man changes so abruptly after time with a young man, about five years your junior, may I add. It seemed like you were interested in one thing with him, and on thing only." Mr. Silver waited for a response. "You're not going to have a guess? Well, I'll tell you. Sex."

Axel clenched his fists, and looked down at his hands.

"The fact is, Axel hasn't just had sexual relations with Roxas. You did him in an empty room adjacent to a wedding ceremony, didn't you?"

Axel's jaw dropped, and he sucked in a deep breath. "I didn't do him! He didn't want to, I stopped!" Axel barked. Mr. Silver chuckled. "And I bet Roxas would feel too guilty to say otherwise," then, he turned his head, directing his next statement to the jury, "The fact is, Axel is a fantastic liar. He lied to a lot of people."

He turned back to Axel, narrowing his eyes. "How many sexual relations have you had since Roxas?"

"I- I don't know…" Axel muttered, and Mr. Silver snorted. "I believe it included Selphie, a pass at Aerith- who was by the way, going to be married, Ventus- Roxas' own mentally unstable brother, and even Marluxia. That is quite a number."

Axel looked down at his hands, gulping in a deep breath. He felt like thousands of eyes were on him, watching him fall apart.

"You knew where those cameras were, didn't you? Who's to say that the real business went on other places? But we won't know. All we know is that you are an excellent liar, you are smart, resourceful, and you like to meddle with people and bring them ruin."

"Objection!" Aqua cut in, seeing that Axel was wearing down. "That's blatant bullying!"

"Sustained." The judge replied, and Aqua sat down. Mr. Silver shrugged in a half ass apology.

"If you'll notice in the tapes, there were strange points where you looked directly at the camera and smirked. You dealt with a crooked cop named Croc, why didn't you go to a real policeman?"

"Because I was scared." Axel snapped, "I felt like I could trust Croc."

"Wrong again, Axel." Mr. Silver snapped back. "Croc was one of the least trust worthy cops you could go to. And you paid him off to find more information on Professor Ansem and Organization Thirteen; you paid _him _to look for the clues to prove you innocence in the matter. Because you probably knew this would happen, right?"

"I knew that we'd fall, but I didn't know that-" Axel began, and Mr. Silver threw his forefinger up, pointing to Axel's face. "He accepts it readily. Perhaps Axel paid Croc off to do a shoddy search, who's to say that Croc was just to say that Axel did call the police?"

"Objection!" Aqua shouted again. "He's making up his own version of events!"

"Sustained. Watch it, Mr. Silver." The judge growled, and Mr. Silver nodded, bowing a little bit.

"No further questioning." He muttered, leaving Axel up on the witness stand, tired and upset. The jury looked up at him with mixed thoughts, some of their eyes boring into him in disgust.

The judge slammed his gavel down on its block. "This court is adjourned, the jury shall make its decision."

As the jury filed out of the courtroom, Axel squeezed Aqua's hand. "What's the matter, Axel?" Aqua asked, and Axel looked at the floor blankly. "I want to plead guilty." He mumbled, shocking Aqua. "What the hell are you saying?"

"What I did to Roxas and everyone else was terrible. I deserve to go to jail. I did meddle." Axel added with a tight throat that strangled his words. "The thing is, I did enlist Croc to find stuff out, because I did have things to hide."

"Axel, I know that at heart you are a good person. What you did in the past is over and done with, you have a chance to be free."

"I'll never be free, now. Not after what he said." Axel snapped.

Aqua pursed her lips, wanting to reach out and give Axel a hug. But something in her told her not to. She didn't want Mr. Silver to have any other shit to fling in court, if they had to go at it again for some reason.

"I stole money." Axel said softly. "Me and Saix stole a lot of money. That's why we wanted to bring the Organization down. We wanted to cover up the money laundering. And Saix was one of the people who helped make it so that Xion was used in the Organization to weaken Roxas. I watched as Larxene beat up Namine. I turned a blind eye. She trusted me. I was an accessory to abuse and experimentation and I laundered money. I should be going to jail."

Aqua put her head in her hands, sighing audibly. "I'm sorry." Axel said softly. "Well, let's hope no one finds out, or we'll have to rebuild your whole case," Aqua muttered. "I can't believe that you didn't tell me this sooner."

Suddenly, Mr. Silver pealed into the room and towards the judge. He seemed intensely excited. "Sir, I request one more day. I want partial ownership of those tapes. I want a copy. I also have paper work that was found by our investigators proving that Axel laundered money." Mr. Silver hissed.

"Speak of the devil." Aqua growled. Axel didn't really have any expression on his face, it was like he had expected this to happen sometime or other.

The judge called the jury back in, and told them that the trial would go on one more day. Aqua stared up at the judge's box in masked defeat. Axel would be convinced to plead guilty, and the case would be lost. Maybe he should plead guilty. But she hated defeat.

Mr. Silver nearly danced back to Xehanort and Xemnas, with a huge grin plastered across his face. "I think we've got something!" He hissed with delight, and Xehanort looked pleased. Xemnas seemed to have reservations, but he kept his discomfort unnoticed by his father or the lawyer who was representing him.

Axel went to the bathroom, and Aqua waited for him outside. Apparently, Axel would now be staying the night in a jail cell because of the new charges brought against him.

Suddenly, Aqua noticed Xemnas walking towards her, looking around him to see if he was being watched. "Hi," he began, smiling slightly to be nice. Aqua didn't grant him the same favor. "I just came to tell you that I think you've still got a chance tomorrow. Sorry for how tough things were today."

"Do you know how much you've done?" Aqua asked vehemently. Xemnas looked away. "I used to be different. More like my father. At least I'm not the same as I was before."

"Do you think you still have a chance with me?" Aqua snapped, and Xemnas blinked, shrugging. Then, he stepped closer to her, leaning in to her ear. "You know, you could just forget everything that happened. Terra was bound to go crazy, he had it in him."

"He could have changed!" Aqua hissed, but Xemnas ignored her and continued.

"Ventus went nuts the minute Vanitas was injected with heartless venom, right? Axel would've gone to jail anyway- and deserves it. He did wrong, too."

Aqua tried to pull away from him as he spoke, disgusted with what he was saying. He moved over to her, grabbing her arm urgently. "The only thing I'm sorry about is you. But you're back now. You've started again. You've got Ventus. Now please, just think about things."

Aqua paused again, and looked down at the marble floor below her. Tears welled up in her eyes. She had loved Xemnas at one time. And she thought that all the while she should have loved Terra, instead. She suddenly wondered just how hard it was for Ventus, being away from him.

"Get away from me." Aqua snarled, and broke away from Xemnas' grasp. She noticed Axel waiting for her by the door, and went over to him, wiping her eyes as subtly as she could.

"You okay?" Axel asked, and Aqua nodded. "I won't let you plead guilty tomorrow, Axel."

"I'll just get a higher sentence, then." Axel said in fear, but Aqua shook her head. "You will not. I'll make sure it doesn't happen. Just trust me."

….

Sid had dreams about his friends frequently. He dreamed of a world where they could be happy, where their lives weren't fraught with disappointment.

He dreamed of a world where Aerith had never met Sephiroth or Zach Fair, a world where she had fallen in love with Leon, instead, a real hero, and had started a flower shop far away from the Planet and Midgar, with its dark skies and bleak landscape. Sid dreamed of a world where Yuffie had never laid eyes on Loz, who had too many problems for her to deal with by herself. A world where she was a little girl forever, smiling and laughing with a big chocolate covered grin on her face, playing with Aerith and Leon like they were all young and naïve. Sometimes, Sid even dreamed about Aerith and Leon having a little baby that he could spoil. If it was a boy, he'd take him fishing off the coast of Destiny Islands, if it were a little girl, he'd grudgingly let her brush his hair and put makeup on his face, like Yuffie had used to do.

And sometimes, Sid even thought about having a wife of his own, of sitting out on their little porch with her in the evenings. He thought of a time before he'd become hard, when he was young and free to roam around, of a time when he was handsome and fell in love with beautiful women who made him laugh and that he could talk about anything to.

Leon would set up paper lanterns around the backyard, and Sora and his friends would come over and help set up the tables. Maybe Sora would play with Aerith's little boy, running around after him in laughter. And Kairi might run around with Aerith's little girl.

Aerith would delegate people's jobs, going between cooking, welcoming, and setting the tables with Riku, Namine, and Roxas. If Roxas and Xion were there, Axel would probably have to tag along, too.

Sid and his wife would sit in the backyard and relax, watching the children as they played. Then, everyone would sit down to dinner, smiling and laughing, not a wrinkle on their faces.

Sid wondered where everything had gone wrong. He wondered how long ago he could have prevented what had happened from happening. But there was no use dwelling on what was. What he had was right now.

Aerith was trying to save up enough money to get a house with Zach, Yuffie was crying silently over Loz, who wouldn't speak to her and got angry and sad for reasons she didn't know. Axel was on trial and seemed poised to be put in jail at any moment, and Roxas had a brother who drove him mad. Namine had disappeared, leaving Xion behind.

These thoughts whirled around in Sid's head; as he subtly watched Aerith and Zach, in the room beside him, discuss houses together at the kitchen table. They laughed occasionally at little private jokes, and clasped hands as they spoke. Leon came down the stairs by the kitchen, and looked at Aerith and Zach's clasped hands for a moment, before catching Sid's eyes across the room, and turning, going out the front door.

…

Lightning scoured through various diaries and notebooks that held information on Namine. She just couldn't figure out where the girl was.

Lightning tapped her fingers on the table in front of her, sighing. Reno was in the office adjacent to her, making calls and taking notes on the Xehanort case. Technically, Lightning was supposed to be in charge, but she figured that Reno could do it by himself. He'd changed a lot in the time they'd been together. She didn't want to say that his fall from grace was a _good _thing, but he did seem more serious about his work.

Suddenly, Reno popped his head into Lightning's room in excitement.

"What is it, Reno?" Lightning asked, and Reno put a small manila folder in front of her. She opened it, and looked through its contents, shocked.

"They've found fingerprints on countless crime scenes around Midgar, and such. All enemies of Shinra, all Vanitas' mark."

"So we have evidence that he assassinated these people?" Lightning asked incredulously, and Reno nodded. "How did they find the DNA so slow? Why just now?" Lightning asked.

Reno shrugged. "It's weird to me too."

"Are you sure the evidence wasn't planted? Who told you guys to look again?"

"Apparently it was a friend of Xehanort's. Xehanort was talking to him about how Vanitas had recently made contact with him again. Xehanort's lawyer put in a call about how Xehanort was fearing for his life."

"That's a load of shit." Lightning growled. "Vanitas and Xehanort have been together ever since he adopted that boy from the orphanage."

She wondered why Xehanort would suddenly try to get Vanitas caught, if they'd been together for so long. There had to be something…

Yen Sid had said before how he didn't understand how a person could live so long with just heartless inside them. Aqua and Ventus had the theory that Vanitas was slowly dying. If he were getting weaker and weaker, then he wouldn't be able to do Xehanort's dirty work anymore…

"What if Xehanort is framing Vanitas for his crimes?" Reno murmured, and Lightning looked at him inquiringly, wanting to hear more.

"I mean, when I was in Shinra, the lower officers carried out the dirty work. When we got caught, we were sent to jail. The ones _giving_ the orders never got caught."

"Did anyone say who made them do what they did?" Lightning asked, and Reno snorted, replying, "Of course not! We were loyal to Shinra- well, and we would've been afraid of getting _killed._"

Lightning nodded, thinking about it. Xehanort was Vanitas' only guardian. If Vanitas had some strange sense of unbreakable loyalty to Xehanort, he would never rat Xehanort out, even if Xehanort let him take the blame for crimes he commit out of service to his master.

"He's using Vanitas to cover his tracks. If Vanitas did everything, he'll be charged, and Xehanort will get off scot-free. Vanitas won't tell us anything that Xehanort did." Lightning said incredulously, and Reno pursed his lips darkly.

"If Vanitas is going nuts, you'd be surprised what we could get out of him," Reno finally said, making Lightning shake her head. "But Xehanort is smart- he wouldn't have put so much trust into a plan that would fail."

"Why not? His other plans failed," Reno replied. Lightning raised her eyebrows at this, waiting for Reno to continue.

"His sons, that kid Terra, Ventus, and Vanitas with the X-blade… he doesn't make very good choices in people to count on."

"I think it's more just the nature of the game," Lightning responded. Reno shrugged and patted her on the shoulder. "If we find Vanitas, we'll find Xehanort."

There was another call, and Reno picked up the phone, listening to the other end of the line intently. He rolled his eyes at the end, and said thank you.

"Xehanort wants cops to come to his house to protect him." He growled. "It's all for show. He wants _us _to catch Vanitas. Make it seem like it wasn't his fault."

"Well, we'll be sure to inform Vanitas just how much Xehanort had to do with it once we find him." Lightning said quickly. She went back to her studies; almost sure that Vanitas and Namine were together as they spoke. Otherwise, Vanitas was dead. That would be a disaster for their case against Xehanort.

If Vanitas was alive, he would be going back to Xehanort soon to prove to him that he was worth keeping around. The cops would have to be at the house to catch him at that point.

"We need cops stationed at Xehanort's house. Meanwhile, I want to find Vanitas before he gets home so that he has no contact with Xehanort," Lightning said urgently, and Reno nodded, getting his coat.

Lightning racked her brain, trying to think of a place where Vanitas would be hiding. It would be a place he trusted, a place he knew well. Somewhere no one would suspect him to be…

"I think he's at Castle Oblivion." Lightning barked, jumping up. Reno thought about it, nodded, and then followed her out.

…

Lightning and Reno drove down through fields of grass, coming closer and closer to Castle Oblivion, which lay in waste ahead of them.

"I heard that there's a graveyard for weapons around here somewhere." Reno said suddenly, and Lightning nodded. "I think it's way far down, behind the Castle. The grass ends as you reach the castle, and behind it is just clay ground, I think, until you reach the forests of the Land That Never Was."

Reno snorted. "I know the geography, I did live here once, you know."

"In The Land of Departure?" Lightning asked, but Reno shook his head. "No, in Disney City. And before that we lived in Radiant Garden, which was when I was tiny. We moved to Disney City when Axel was still pretty young, before Lea came along."

Reno smiled as he remembered, sighing a little bit. Lightning reached out and held his hand without thinking about it.

"You know, maybe after all this ends, we can go on a date," she tried abruptly, and Reno nodded, chuckling for a moment, before whipping around and staring at her in shock. "What?" Lightning asked defensively. Reno shrugged.

"No, it's just unexpected. But I would love to go on a date with you, Lightning!" Reno said softly.

"Call me… Claire." Lightning mumbled. She suddenly wondered if she was crazy, letting Reno in so much. "Actually-" she started, but when she saw the look on Reno's face, she stopped.

He nodded at her in satisfaction, and looked out the window with a smile.

Lightning could see the former peaks of the land of departure, and behind them lay what looked like an extended view of the badlands.

They finally reached the Castle itself, and Lightning and Reno got out of the car cautiously, going over to the Castle with light steps. If Vanitas was in there keeping watch, he would have seen them coming in the car. But then again, why would he be there if he could keep watch?

Lightning went in first, and Reno followed close behind her.

"Oh, boy," Lightning sighed. "This place feels really weird."

"Feels alive." Reno mumbled, looking around sheepishly. Everything was so _blank. _

"This was the former majesty of the University?" Reno asked, and Lightning nodded.

They searched through the rooms, climbing stairs and descending them until they were fed up.

"We need a whole brigade to search this place," Reno muttered. Lightning shook her head, and stared down at her watch. "Shit!" she snapped. "It's already six o'clock. We can't waste any more time here."

"I agree," Reno replied. "I really don't think he's here."

Lightning sat down near the front door, and thought things over. "I was sure that this would be it!"

Reno scratched his head as he thought, and then pursed his lips. "Wait a minute. Was Vanitas a student at the University?"

"Never." Lightning responded.

Reno nodded to himself. "Of course we would've thought it would be _here. _But this is _Ventus' _place, not Vanitas'. And he wouldn't be at Xehanort's. Do you want to try his Orphanage?" he tried, and Lightning nodded vigorously, not believing that she hadn't come up with it earlier.

They sped over to the run-down, graffiti covered building, and quickly searched through it. There was nothing.

"Dammit!" Lightning said in irritation, suddenly feeling like time was running out. She sat down and thought hard, mulling over ideas in her mind. There was nowhere else that he could have been that held any significance to him.

Then, she thought about the badlands again. The place where the X-blade was almost created. The place where Vanitas almost became whole again.

"I know where he is," Lightning barked, jumping up. "He's in the Keyblade Graveyard!"

…..

Aqua looked down at the table in deep frustration. Mr. Silver had suddenly found files documenting Axel's money laundering- no doubt found with the help of Saix. And Mr. Silver had done an excellent job of making it seem like Axel had watched carelessly as Larxene and Marluxia bullied and beat on Namine. It was true that he had turned a blind eye. Axel sat by as the tapes played, stoic. Roxas was in the room, and so was Xion. They'd come to support him, and they were seeing for the first time what really happened in Castle Oblivion. Whenever Larxene got _really _mad at Namine, Axel left the room. But maybe he hadn't wanted to get on Marluxia and Larxene's bad side, for the sake of his mission.

But that didn't matter now, because it was all coming back to him in the courtroom.

"I should've just gone to jail and be done with it." Axel murmured abruptly, and Aqua felt like she had failed him.

After the last few testimonies were made, the closing statements were in order.

Mr. Silver stepped up first.

"Axel has gotten a sparkling defense. Really, he has. Aqua successfully discredited the witnesses of Axel's behavior. But, bad as they were, they seemed to have it right. Today, you may be convinced that while Axel did launder money and act as an accessory of abuse to this poor young girl- who has since disappeared- that he isn't the true mastermind behind Organization Thirteen's crimes. What if I told you you were wrong? What if I told you that Axel saw Organization Thirteen as a great outlet of getting rich quick, and he did anything to get his money without getting caught. He sat back as a young girl was viciously beaten, he had sex with any member who showed the slightest interest in him, he lied and scammed people into believing that he was good at heart. Don't let this charming liar weasel his way into your hearts. Act on behalf of the people he has stepped on. It is your job to deliver justice."

Mr. Silver sat back down, and Aqua trudged up to the front of the room, and focused.

"Mr. Silver just said an interesting thing. He said that even though his witnesses were bad people, they still had the ability to speak the truth. And isn't that the truth of everything? Axel, a young man at the prime of his life, has done questionable things, like us all. These have made him an easy target for these false accusations against him. The paperwork that Mr. Silver found detailing money laundering only _implied _Axel's dealings in the matter- they also heavily implied Saix's involvement, too. Now, the prosecution does not want to pursue Saix, who let's remember, was the one who encouraged Axel to carry out his own plans of taking over the Organization. But, notice that Silver's file dates stop just around the time that Axel began really making friends with Roxas and Xion. Maybe Axel was tired of doing Saix's dirty work. Maybe he finally realized what true friendship was. When he finally found that Roxas could not return his love, he drifted around amongst people. He made mistakes. Let's not prosecute him for what he did not do."

Aqua sat down, and the jury was dismissed to make their decision. Xemnas seemed conflicted, his eyebrows wrinkled together in irritation. Xehanort patted him on the shoulder.

"I want you to start a research division, Xemnas. This will be good publicity for you. The 'wronged scientist' you can be the answer to your brother's disaster. You'll be the good one," Xehanort added, chuckling to himself. Xemnas thought things over in his mind, looking down at Aqua, who seemed so disappointed. Axel stared ahead blankly, and Roxas stayed away from him, trying to process everything that had happened. Roxas wasn't doing it to be spiteful; he just didn't know what to say to the man.

"I want to plead guilty," Axel mumbled. Aqua sighed, and Axel looked over at her. "Do you think it's a good idea?" he asked, and Aqua nodded, rubbing her temple. "I think it's a pretty decent idea, Axel. Unless you want to take a chance."

Axel looked ahead. "I'd rather do what's right. For Lea, and Reno. I need to own up to something."

After an hour's recess, the jury returned with their verdict. Everyone stood up, and the judge addressed Axel.

"Axel, do you plead guilty or not guilty to the charges brought against you?" the judge asked, and Axel was just about to open his mouth, when Xemnas stood up. His father looked at his son in alarm, and Aqua locked eyes with Xemnas, wondering what he would do.

"Can we take a break?" Xemnas asked, and the judge was baffled. "What do you mean?"

"I want to drop the charges." Xemnas barked, looking straight at Aqua. Xehanort looked like he was going to have a fit.

"You want to drop the charges?" the judge said incredulously, and Xemnas nodded.

"Court is in recess." The judge replied bluntly, slamming his gavel down on the block.

…

**Probably there will only be two more chapters, 21, and a very short epilogue. Keep reading, it's seriously almost the end!**


	21. Together

**Okay, there are going to be 22 chapters now and an epilogue, because 21 was going to be so long that I just lengthened it in two. This is it! I hope it ended well, I have been so busy lately. These next two chapters have a boat load of Vanitas in them, he's like the star of these next few. Anywho, enjoy! Thanks for reading!**

Namine looked at the machine behind her, and then stared at Vanitas, who had fallen asleep again. She hated to betray his trust, but she was becoming uncomfortable around him. She hadn't eaten in a while, and she was afraid that Vanitas would try to go back to Xehanort. His thoughts were so muddled that she couldn't really figure out what was going on inside him.

Namine stopped moving as a thought came into her head. If she was connected to Vanitas, then that meant she was indirectly connected to Ventus. Maybe she could contact him. Namine lied down, and closed her eyes, trying to fall asleep. Before long, she was drifting along in nothingness, until the landscape formed into something recognizable around her. She was in Vanitas' dreams, but he wasn't there. She called out around her for Ventus, screaming his name. She thought harder and harder until the landscape around her seemed to pulsate with intensity, almost hurting her head as she continued to formulate what was around her into her mind, trying to bring the memory to life. She continued to shout Ventus' name, until a howling wind picked up around her, making it harder for her to hear her own voice. She screamed louder and louder, and then she suddenly stopped. She saw a glimmer of him, a little five-year-old version of himself, looking at her from a distance. They caught eyes, and then a dark hand descended from the sky above Namine, and picked her up.

She woke up in a sweat, and noticed that Vanitas was above her, shaking her awake. He ground his teeth in frustration.

"What the fuck were you doing?" he snarled, and Namine tried to get away from him. "I was dreaming!" she shouted, and kicked him. She was surprised to find that Vanitas had recovered his strength again, or perhaps he was even stronger than before.

He looked down at her with narrowed eyes, and then hauled her up, and tied her to his motorcycle. Then, he took some paper out of a compartment on the motorcycle's side, and wrote a note to Lightning and Reno. They'd probably be searching for him right now.

"I know that you tried to contact Ventus. You're clever. I've never been able to do that, even when half of him is in me, and here you are accomplishing it with ease," Vanitas snarled. He took out a few crucial parts to the machine, hauling along the blue prints he had kept. Who knew if he'd need a machine like that again.

"They'll probably be surrounding Xehanort's house, but I need to talk to him one more time," Vanitas muttered, "see where I stand with him."

His heart jumped a little bit as he thought of how proud Xehanort would be of him, figuring it all out by himself. Unlocking the secret. He could get rid of Kadaj, now, and stand by Xehanort once again, like things always had been.

"Things are going to go back to normal again," Vanitas sighed, finding himself smiling a little. Namine looked at him in anger. "You are so naïve!" she hissed, and he glanced at her in surprise.

"He is _using_ you!" she continued when she saw that he was paying attention, "and now that you're different, you'll feel again, you'll know what it feels like to be betrayed…"

Vanitas looked at Namine dully, wondering why he had been so fascinated with her before hand. She was nothing special. She was just a nuisance.

"You're lucky I don't kill you," Vanitas murmured, looking around the cave once more before taking in a deep breath, breathing out nervously. Namine stood up, her chest rising and falling with breath. "I have never appeared strong," she said in a low voice, staring at Vanitas angrily, "but I got through life up until this point and I didn't have the resources you did. So don't make me feel small."

Vanitas revved up his motorcycle, and Namine lowered her shoulders in defeat, looking out on the sand dunes beyond the cave hopelessly. Vanitas swung his leg over the motorbike, and they both sped off across the dunes, Vanitas staring straight ahead, and Namine staring straight back from where they came.

…..

Xemnas sat in the judge's room with Aqua. The judge paced back and forth, baffled.

"Xemnas, are you certain this is what you want to do?"

"Yes," Xemnas said bleakly, and the judge chuckled. "You know, this is a crime that was about to be solved. Unless you can prove that someone else perpetrated it, I think we may have to go through with this review."

"That's not fair," Xemnas blurted out. "I said I wanted to drop it, and I want to drop it."

"But why do you want to drop it, Xemnas?" the judge asked in exasperation. Xemnas looked around briefly, and then looked back at the judge. "Because I did it."

The judge's eyes nearly popped out of his head, and Aqua put her head in her hands, confused to the point of dizziness. What was going on?

"I take full responsibility for what I did. I lied. And I can give you information on my lawyer," Xemnas added. "What about your father?" Aqua snapped, but Xemnas shook his head decidedly, saying shortly, "never." Aqua understood. Xemnas had already betrayed his father enough by giving himself up.

"Well, then. We'll have to set up another court date. But it's looking like sunny skies for your client as of now, Ms. Aquina. You are very lucky," the judge mumbled. Aqua nodded, and the judge dismissed both of them. When the two were out in the hallway, Aqua shook her head and looked over at Xemnas in melancholy. "Why did you do that?" she asked quietly. Xemnas shrugged. "Is it so strange to you that one of my actions have been informed by love?" he said simply, and started to walk off.

Aqua watched him go, wanting to say something to him, but she shuffled her feet like the shy, ten year old girl she had been so long ago, not knowing quite what to say. Then, she called out to him.

"Xemnas!" she shouted, and he turned to face her in curiosity. She smiled sadly. "Do you remember when we sat in the forest on the mountain, with all the cherry blossoms?"

Xemnas blinked, and smiled at her. "I'll always remember. Goodbye Aqua."

"Goodbye, Xemnas," Aqua replied softly, and the two parted ways. As Xemnas turned, she saw a glimpse of an old face, and then a memory of that brown haired boy smiling at her. She remembered three young people sitting on the balcony in front of the university, eating sea salt ice cream.

The memory was gone in an instant, and she noticed Axel walking towards her with a grin on his face. He seemed so much brighter now. "Hey!" he said giddily, nodding to himself as if confirming something good in his mind. "Things are finally looking up for me!" he added.

"I know Axel," Aqua replied wistfully. Axel smiled mischievously at her. "After all this is finished, would you maybe… want to go out for a drink with me? I mean, since I'm not going to be your client anymore. If you think I'm too pitiful, you can pass, but I'd like it if you'd come along," Axel blubbered, trying to double back and say the same thing more eloquently, but Aqua stopped him. "I'll go out for a drink with you, Axel."

Xemnas descended the steps in front of the building with his lawyer, Mr. Silver, who looked pale as a ghost. Xehanort was further down in front of him, pushing past reporters asking him how he felt about what had happened in the courtroom.

"Out of my way!" he hissed as he pushed past people. He didn't have his chauffer with him, and he seemed distressed.

"Father!" Xemnas called, and the man snapped his head around to look at his son. His face contorted into a grimace of rage, as he looked his boy up and down. "Are you happy, son?" Xehanort sneered, and Xemnas shrugged. "I'm getting better."

Xehanort blinked at him, and then threw his hands up in anger. "Bah!" he huffed as he descended more stairs. His car was waiting in front of the building for him, but there was no chauffer.

"Has your chauffer left you, father? Or have you disowned him too?" Xemnas called one more time, but Xehanort ignored him, throwing the door open to the driver's seat, and slamming it behind him, driving off fast. He left Xemnas and Mr. Silver on the top step, contemplating what would happen next.

…

Reno and Lightning whizzed towards the key blade graveyard in their car, going as fast as they could without being incredibly dangerous.

"Drive faster so that we can catch up!" Lightning hissed, and Reno nodded, picking up the speed hesitantly. Lightning's eyes stared out of her head like flaming coals. It was times like this that she scared Reno, just a little bit.

"Oh, shit, it's him, it's him!" Lightning screeched, pointing out the window towards a black dot on the horizon. They became closer, and the motorbike took form, and then Vanitas, and Namine.

"It's the girl, he's got the girl!" Lightning said in excitement, and Reno smiled a little bit, hoping that the kid wouldn't try anything crazy. The revved up, trying to be as quiet as they could, but Reno noticed Vanitas turning around and looking behind him. "He's seen us," Reno said intensely, and Lightning bit her lip. He had Namine with him, and she could prove to be an advantage to him if he needed to cause a distraction. "We should have dispatched more people for this," Lightning grumbled as the car sped up.

Namine stared behind her as the car came closer and closer, then, she closed her eyes, seeing if she could mess with Vanitas' mind, to confuse him and slow him down. She tried to get into his thoughts, and she could hear his own heartbeat matching hers, magnified. She began to think a countless number of things, formulating them randomly in her mind and then barraging them onto Vanitas, who tightened his grip on the motorcycle handles in inner turmoil. "If you continue to do what you are doing, I'll knock you off this motorbike," Vanitas hissed. Namine shrugged.

A roaring wind picked up around them, and the sand dunes blew up little particles of dust, throwing the bits of dust in front of the car and the bike. Vanitas tried to disappear into the dust cloud, but Reno and Lightning stayed close behind, tracking the two as best as they could.

Then, Vanitas revved up some more, and sped off ahead, hitting the breaking point on his bike. It suddenly became louder; it was going so fast that it couldn't stay silent. Namine looked down in discomfort at what she was riding on, wondering if it'd blow up beneath her at any second. The car behind disappeared into the dust, and Vanitas let out a holler of success, pumping his fist into the air. Namine stayed quiet, and turned back around to look ahead with him. They were still kicking up dust, and as Namine took a peek behind her again, she saw that the dust clouds were still covering whatever was behind them. Namine wondered if the car had been lost.

"They gone?" Vanitas asked casually, and Namine tightened her grip around his stomach, expecting something, for some reason. Vanitas chuckled, misinterpreting her sudden grip. "You know, if you want to come with me, you could," he said suddenly, surprising Namine.

"I thought you found me annoying," Namine said coolly, and Vanitas chuckled. "We were the opposite and the same. You were evolved light and I was evolved darkness. We go together," he added, surprising Namine. "No one on this earth understands you as well as I do," he added, and Namine suddenly became aware of how persuasive he was. Their heartbeats began to overlap, and when they beat together, and wisps of his thoughts were floating around in Namine's mind, it was impossible for her not to feel anything. There was also an energy that floated around him, that seemed to pull her towards him like a magnet. It scared Namine.

A memory floated through Namine's head suddenly, and she couldn't tell whether it was Vanitas' or hers. It was the X-blade, a searing mental picture of it, like the after burn from looking into the sun. Then, she remembered the story.

"_When a heart of pure light and a heart of pure darkness intersected, both equal to each other, the X-blade will be forged…capable of opening the door to all hearts…" _

Namine stared at Vanitas, and realized what had happened. Her heart was light, and his heart was darkness.

"_We were opposite and the same… we go together…" _

Namine covered her face with her hands, and Vanitas peered behind him momentarily to see what was wrong. "Hey, you feel sick?" he asked, and Namine tightened her grip on him, not knowing what else to do. "I've created a monster," she hissed under her breath, but Vanitas heard her, cackling. "Don't take all the credit, darling, I was a monster long before you came into the picture…" he continued to laugh as he thought about it, and then, suddenly, there was a great roar from behind him, and the car whizzed out of the sand dune and caught up to the motorcycle with surprising speed. They were side by side, and Vantinas gasped, losing control for just a second. Lightning was on top of the car, and she reached out her hand for Namine.

"Namine! Grab my hand!" Lightning bellowed, and Namine reached back up to her. Then, she stopped, feeling a pressure growing inside Vanitas. "Are you going to stay or go?" he asked bitterly, as if knowing the answer. Namine hesitated for a moment, and then kissed him on the cheek. "I have to go," she said quietly, and grabbed Lightning's hand, letting herself be pulled off the motorcycle. Vanitas didn't fight it, and he looked down at the speedometer. He could go faster now, with the reduced weight. He sped up more, and went ahead of the car. Suddenly, there was a gunshot, and a bullet whizzed past his shoulder, barely grazing it.

"What the hell are you doing?" Lightning screeched at Reno, who had fired the gun. "We have to have him alive!"

Reno sighed, muttering to himself as Namine seated herself in the back of the car. "How are you, Namine?" Reno asked suddenly, and Namine shrugged. "I've been better."

Reno grinned at this, and nodded, speeding up the car. As Namine sat in the backseat, she closed her eyes, trying to get inside Vanitas' head again. She was concentrating so hard, that she could feel Ventus again. Then, she gasped.

"I need to talk to Ventus!" she said urgently to Reno, who looked back at her in surprise. "Do you know Ventus?" Namine asked, and Reno nodded.

Namine grinned in surprised happiness, and held her hand out for a phone. Reno acquiesced, handing the phone to her in slight suspicion. She dialed Roxas' number, and he picked up.

"Hello?" he said in a slightly worried tone, which seemed to be his trademark on most occasions.

"It's Namine," Namine said urgently, and she heard sputtering across the line, "I need to talk to Ventus RIGHT NOW," she added intensely, and the sputtering continued as the phone traveled upstairs.

"Hello?" a similar voice said across the line, and Namine took in a deep breath in excitement. "Ventus, this is Namine. Vanitas has my light in him now."

"Oh, so he accomplished what he set out to do in the end, huh?" Ventus chuckled darkly, knowing full well what that meant for Vanitas. Namine nodded, even though Ventus couldn't see her nod across the line. "Yes," she added, continuing, "I need you to get into his head. You can do that, right?"

There was a pause, and Namine could almost feel Ventus grinning. "Yeah, of course I can."

"If we both do it at the same time, he'll get confused," Namine said in a fast paced voice. Reno was listening in the front seat, a little bit scared at what he was hearing. It was like these kids were psychic or something. Though, he had seen some pretty crazy stuff in his lifetime.

"Okay, you ready?" Namine said, and Ventus chuckled. "Oh yes."

"One, two, three…" Namine counted down, and then shut her eyes.

Vanitas came into view, in her head, riding ahead of them. She began to barrage him with thoughts; painful memories of hers that she knew would affect him. On the other end, a strong presence descended on Vanitas' other side, and Namine knew it was Ventus, heaping old memories onto Vanitas shoulders too. It was getting harder for Vanitas to think straight, he was swerving more, and Reno and Lightning were catching up.

Vanitas head felt like it was going to explode. He held it in agony as he tried to drive on, but tears were coming into his eyes, something that he was not accustomed to, something that scared him greatly. The fear that he had been able to take away with medicine was creeping back up his throat, and he was having trouble breathing. Nightmares whizzed back and forth before his eyes, and he shook his head madly to try to get them out, but they would not go.

But he could not give up. He had to get back to Xehanort.

"Come on!" he growled to himself, forcing himself to keep going. The car was getting closer and closer. Vanitas saw grass whizzing past his wheels, and he saw ahead that the forest leading to Xehanort's headquarters was getting closer and closer.

As he reached the line of trees, a memory of himself, or perhaps it was an illusion of himself, began playing with his head.

It was a memory of himself, as a young boy, playing around the edge of the trees in the forest. But Vanitas couldn't understand it; he had never played around that line of trees. He'd always been in too much pain. There was also a face in the forest, and it talked to the little boy, who walked towards it innocently.

Vanitas picked up speed, and drove madly towards the trees, veering towards the child so that he could pick him up. As he got closer and closer, he slowed down so that he wouldn't hurt the child, who was getting closer and closer to the strange face in the trees that Vanitas could not make out.

When the child was just about to reach the face, Vanitas reached his hand out to the boy, right beside him, to pick him up. He swooped up the child in his arms, and slowed down more, forgetting where he was going. "You're alright now, kid," he said breathlessly, trying to turn the kid around to get a better look at it. But as it turned around, it disappeared, and Vanitas realized that it had never been there to begin with.

Vanitas' motorcycle smashed against a tree, and he was thrown off of it and into another tree, shoulder first. He felt the joint popping out of its socket, an he heard a crack in his collar bone as he fell to the ground, going unconscious from shock, and from his throbbing head and arm.

…

Lightning and Reno charged towards the forest with Namine in tow, looking severely distressed.

"What the hell did you do to him?" Reno said hoarsely, and Namine shook her head in tears. "I didn't know it would be that bad! We stopped half way through, the last part was all him!" Then, she gasped when she saw the wrecked motorcycle, its wheels still spinning furiously as it lay underneath the battered tree it had crashed into. "Did I kill him?" Namine gulped, but Lightning charged ahead, and gave a cry, signaling that she had found Vanitas.

"Fuck, he might be dead!" she screamed, and Reno picked up the pace, kneeling down beside her. She felt his pulse, and breathed out a sigh of relief. "He's still alive, but his breathing is really shallow. We need to get him somewhere."

Reno stepped out of the forest to have a smoke, his nerves raw, and Namine sat close to Vanitas as Lightning called someone to come and help them.

A few moments later, there was a helicopter over head, probably one that had been at Xehanort's headquarters, and Vanitas had to be air lifted into it. Lightning got in with him, and Namine asked if she could come along, but Lightning said no. "I can take care of it," Lightning said smugly, and Reno rolled his eyes at her, suddenly irritated by her tone of voice. As the helicopter flew away, Namine and Reno were left behind, standing near their car, watching the helicopter get smaller and smaller in the distance.

There was silence for a moment, before Reno patted Namine on the shoulder. "Why don't we get you home?" he asked, and Namine looked down at her fingers, remembering that Marluxia was dead. "Yeah…" she mumbled, so tired she could barely stand.

As Reno helped her back to the car, she remembered what Vanitas had said to her.

"_No one on this earth knows you better than I do…" _

She suddenly wondered if anyone would care when she got back. She wondered if she had lost her one chance at being truly loved…

…..

Aqua and Axel walked towards the bar, and Axel opened the door for Aqua, holding his hand out for her to walk in. She nodded to him in thanks, chuckling a little bit at the absurdity of what she was doing, and they both seated themselves at the counter. They'd just gone out to dinner, and Axel had talked about a host of things in a manner that betrayed his ease. He thought he was out of the woods. Which, he probably was. But he'd recovered from everything surprisingly quickly.

In the course of one day, Xemnas had been arrested again, Axel had been acquitted, and Xigbar had come to her personally asking if he could testify. She'd had to tell him, sorry, the case has been closed already. He seemed really disappointed. Apparently testifying against Xemnas had been something he had been thinking about for a long time. After finally making the decision to do it, he had been turned away. But then, he'd said something that had _really _surprised her.

"_If you ever need me to testify against Xehanort… I'll do it. But only come at me when you need me," _he'd added urgently. It had touched Aqua, and she wondered if he was doing it all for Axel. She hadn't told Axel what had happened yet, and she didn't know when she would.

Axel was a very charming man, Aqua had to admit. When he wanted something, he knew how to get it. She could see now how he would've easily persuaded Roxas to have sex with him. She still hadn't got the full facts on that one, but she figured she knew what had happened. The fact that _Ventus _had had sex with him still didn't sit quite right with her, but she chose to ignore that fact. Axel seemed to be experienced with the naïve, and in a way, he was naïve too. It was as if his world was colored slightly different from everyone else's. Right now, he was enjoying himself, with Aqua. He was expecting something out of her. Aqua's eyes were drawn to him. He was handsome. She couldn't lie. But there was something lacking.

Axel leaned back in his chair, exposing his chest and abdomen that were covered by a thin cotton shirt. Aqua glanced at him unabashedly, tracing the contours of his chest and stomach with her eyes absentmindedly. When she looked up at his face, she noticed that he had been watching her. He grinned at her, and she looked away coolly, without a single blush. Axel was immediately turned on.

"I've really never met a girl like you," he said in awe, chuckling a little bit. "I can tell you're not a kid."

He held her hand, and Aqua looked down at it as he ran his fingers over hers. "Axel… that's the type of language that _jerks_ use," she murmured without thinking, and Axel furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as he looked at her. Then, he got a little defensive. "Sorry about that, I thought you liked me," he mumbled, sulkily looking away.

"I know I'm not a child," Aqua said flatly in a tone that left much to imply, making Axel blush. "But I think you're still in that stage," she continued.

"Hey, now. Now you're just being mean," Axel said with a nervous chuckle, but Aqua kept going.

"It amazes me that after everything you've gone through, you still haven't grown up," she explained. "When I met your brother, I was surprised at how mature he was."

"Trust me, he wasn't like that before," Axel snorted. Aqua nodded. "I can believe that. Didn't Lea have a 'grow up' period, too? I wonder why yours hasn't come, yet," she added.

Axel smoothed back his hair in disbelief. He honestly thought that he was looking at an eventful night. After she practically ogled at his stomach, and that look she gave him when he caught her, he thought he had her. But perhaps that was how a jerk thought. But why would she have gone out with him unless she wanted something from him that he wanted from her?

Axel sat forward, and then leaned back, and then slumped to the side a little bit, trying to position himself comfortably, but he was getting more and more irritated. He was suddenly aware that while the two of them were roughly near the same age, she was miles ahead of him in terms of maturity. She was practically a 200-year-old woman in terms of maturity. He was about… 15.

"Dammit, you're right," he acquiesced, and was surprised when Aqua laughed out loud.

"Why do you like me so much, Axel?" Aqua asked. Axel shrugged. "You're different. And you're very beautiful. And I'm not just saying that because I want to get in your pants," he added with a laugh. Aqua smiled, shaking her head a little bit. He was such a 15-year-old boy.

"Axel," Aqua began, pursing her lips. "When I was eighteen, I lost three friends, all at the same time. That killed me. They were my everything. And before that, I was having a pretty tough family life," she added. "I was completely alone for years. The only thing that drove me was seeing my friends again," she whispered.

"But you've got such special friends, Axel. Try to appreciate them more," Aqua added gently. "Because you can never really tell when they're going to be taken from you."

Axel nodded at this, and squeezed Aqua's hand, to her surprise. "I know you don't like me, but if you ever need someone to talk to, you can always come to me," he suggested, and Aqua smiled, chuckling. "Axel, it's not that I don't like you. You're just going to have to settle with the fact that you're just not my type."

"What is your type?" Axel asked, making Aqua look straight at him. She paused, before looking away sadly. "It wasn't really a type, per say. It was just a boy. Two boys. One failed me, and I failed the other."

Axel shook his head, and rubbed the back of his scalp, trying to think of what to say to her. She seemed lost in her own memory. "You're complicated. And while I can't really figure you out, I can listen. So remember what I said about coming and talking to me," he added good-naturedly.

"Thank you, Axel," she whispered with a smile.

The bartender brought them some drinks, and they chattered occasionally. Axel thought about his past behavior, wondering about everything that had happened to him. Maybe he was immature.

"You want to walk home?" Aqua asked, and Axel nodded. They walked along through Destiny Village, up to the pier, and leaned over it, looking down at the water. Aqua sighed, chuckling.

"You know that Xehanort was born here, right?" she said quietly, making Axel look up in surprise. Then, she nodded. "Yep, he was born and raised here. Until he left to become a key blade master." She chuckled to herself, shaking her head. "He wanted to get out of here. And then that wasn't enough," she explained. "It's weird how one guy can cause that much trouble."

"When did you hear that he was from Destiny Islands?" Axel asked incredulously, and Aqua shrugged. "I can't really remember," she replied.

The sea looked black beneath them, and it washed in and out gently, spraying foam on the base of the pier. Some of it got on Aqua and Axel's shoes, but they didn't notice, instead looking out onto the horizon. Axel felt so calm and content, yet melancholy. It was the most complicated set of emotions he'd felt in a long time.

…

Reno stood patiently and calmly outside the interrogation room as Lightning attempted to grill Vanitas. The boy was surprisingly unreadable, looking off nonchalantly at random parts of the room, like he was intensely bored. Lightning read off all his crimes to him, and he shrugged, not an expression on his face. When Lightning said that there was a way that he could be acquitted for these crimes, he snorted and said 'fat chance'. This made Reno chuckle in spite of himself, and he chuckled more as he noticed that Lightning was getting exceedingly irritated with the boy.

The boy _was _extremely good looking, even Reno could admit it, and apparently he was _very _good at smooth talk and persuasion in general. There was an aura that floated around Vanitas wherever he walked that made people like doing whatever he wanted. One of the policemen he'd been talking to even told Lightning to 'go easy on him', even though he knew the crimes the kid had committed. So, it baffled Reno that Lightning was not daunted at all by the smooth young man in front of her.

Lightning shoved out of the room in deep irritation, and pointed to Reno. "You go in," she snarled, and Reno pointed to himself in disbelief. "You want me to interrogate this kid?" he chuckled, and Lightning gritted her teeth at him, getting up in his face. He pushed her back without a second thought, getting a little irritated himself. He hated when people didn't respect personal space.

"Who else can I make go in? The policeman who he hit on? Give me a break…" Lightning seethed, trudging off. Reno thought of saying something to her as she walked away, but then he decided against it, figuring it would only cause trouble. He simply went into the interrogation room, and sighed when he made eye contact with Vanitas. The kid looked up at him in curiosity, and grinned. Reno felt his heart skip a beat, and he wondered how he could protect himself from Vanitas' 'aura'.

"You've got something about you, kid," Reno plunged in, and Vanitas smiled, still unreadable. "Why thank you," he replied. Reno paused, before pointing to the seat in front of Vanitas. "May I?" he asked, making Vanitas snort. "Do whatever you like," Vanitas murmured, looking up at Reno from under his eyelashes.

Reno rubbed his eyes, trying not to laugh. It scared him ever so slightly that the eyes Vanitas was making at him were actually working.

"So, tell me the secret," Reno tried again, making Vanitas grin even wider. It was like a game for him. "What secret?" he replied.

Reno sighed. "You know, that 'glow'. You're very persuasive."

"I'm sorry. Am I bothering you?"

Reno chuckled. "Nah, I'm fine. I've dealt with worse."

"What was worse?" Vanitas stalled, still smiling with that smooth grin. There was a hint of flirtation in his voice. Reno didn't blame him though, perhaps that's the direction Reno had taken things in.

"Well… Xehanort's pretty damn bad. You want to talk about him?" Reno inquired. Vanitas rolled his eyes. "I should have known you'd take things that way," Vanitas murmured. "But I'm surprised that you're being so blunt. I thought you would've tried to ease into it, get me warmed up so I'd talk."

"Is that what Lightning did?" Reno asked, which prompted a laugh from Vanitas. "She tried. But it proved more frustrating for her than for me," he added in good humor. Reno smiled back, and then got comfortable in his chair, leaning into it. He figured he was going to be in here for a while.

"You want a drink or something?" Reno said suddenly. Vanitas narrowed his eyes, and then nodded, playing along. "I'd like a drink, yeah."

Reno stood up and went over to the water dispenser, getting a plastic cup from its side and filling it up with water. Then, he brought it back to Vanitas, and watched him as he drank from it. When Vanitas set it down, Reno examined the way he put the water down, and the way that he looked back up at him.

"What are you looking at?" Vanitas asked, and Reno shrugged. "Just looking," he said simply.

Vanitas' eyes shone mischievously, and he flashed a grin at Reno. "You were looking at me," he said. Reno shrugged again, and Vanitas sighed heavily, pulling his arms up over his head while he stretched. Reno watched him as he put his arms back down.

"You think you're going to get information by staring at me?" Vanitas asked. Reno shrugged.

Vanitas narrowed his eyes at Reno, trying to decide what tactic he was using. He decided that Reno was just trying to make him paranoid, and then he'd try a host of other things in order to get Vanitas to talk.

"So, what did you see when you went haywire?" Reno asked, which truly surprised Vanitas. The kid shrugged. "Just an illusion. Your friend was messing with my head."

"Yeah, thanks to her we caught you. You're very smart," Reno added, making Vanitas chuckle. "And so are you," the boy returned sweetly. Reno suddenly looked grave.

"Not as smart as you, kid."

"I'm only biologically considered a 'kid'. I'd say that in terms of _mental capacity _and _maturity, _I'm much farther along than that."

Reno snorted at this, nodding to himself. "Oh, I'm not denying that. You're miles farther along than I am, I'll hand you that. But us kids at heart have got to have something to defend ourselves with, don't we?"

"No one was calling you a 'kid'," Vanitas replied, looking uncaringly down at his jacket. He was getting bored.

"You're absolutely right!" Reno said, slamming his palm down on the table, as if in good spirits. "You get another drink of water!"

The redhead stepped up abruptly and poured Vanitas another cup of water. The young man watched him as he walked to the water dispenser, poured the water, and returned. "So are we just going to sit around having a chat?" Vanitas asked as Reno handed him the drink of water, and Reno nodded brightly. "We'll get to know each other a little better," Reno added with a wink. Then he sat back and closed his eyes. Vanitas looked at him closely, trying to figure out what he was doing now.

There was silence for a moment, and Reno began drumming on the table and looking out the window. Then, the drumming tapered off, and Reno sat silently for a moment, looking intently out into the sun, which was getting close to setting.

"You know I worked for Shinra," Reno piped up suddenly, and Vanitas nodded. "I know what you did, Reno."

Reno smiled. "So you've read up on me?" he said slyly, copying Vanitas' former flirtation. Vanitas' nostrils flared as he looked at the red head, and his grin was more forced than before.

"I always study my opponents," Vanitas said flatly, making Reno nod to himself. "That's smart. I should have remembered you were hanging around with Sephiroth at the time he was president of Shinra. That didn't last long, did it?" he added, snorting. "I remember when we saw you amongst the file burnings. Any of those files contain Xehanort?" he slid in, but Vanitas stayed silent. "My bad," Reno added lightheartedly, putting his hands up in mock surrender. "Touchy subject, huh?"

"Are you going to be fired if you don't get the information you want from me?" Vanitas asked suddenly, throwing Reno off. The red head stared at him blankly, before looking away sullenly, making Vanitas chuckle. "Ah. Now you know how I felt. But silence speaks louder than words sometimes. I know I've got it right. I can see it in your eyes," he hissed, leaning closer to Reno, who backed away a little. "If I tell you what you want to know, you get your job back. What do I get?"

"A get out of jail free card," Reno snapped, making Vanitas smile. "Not enough," he snarled.

"I can arrange something," Reno replied. Vanitas thought for a moment, and then narrowed his eyes at Reno, grinning darkly. "How about… Ventus' head on a silver platter? Or Roxas'… or Axel's, Lea's… Lightning's…"

Reno sat stock still at this, examining Vanitas to see if he was serious. The boy was obviously playing with him, raising the stakes.

"Whichever one is harder for you to stomach. Or you can be a security guard in an airport," Vanitas added in delight, and Reno's eyes flew up to look at him in surprise. Vanitas shrugged. "That cop who I 'hit on' told me about it."

As Vanitas traced rings around the portion of the table in front of him, Reno watched the circles as he made them, becoming more and more uncomfortable. "What else did he tell you?" Reno asked without thinking about it, and Vanitas shrugged.

"I don't know… he told me he'd fuck you if I asked him to," he said nonchalantly, and Vanitas looked up at Reno to see his reaction. The red head was taken aback, and then he laughed in disbelief. "You are a kid, aren't you Vanitas? That was a low blow," he added, still examining Vanitas closely as he continued to laugh. Vanitas just smiled at him darkly. "You don't believe me?" he said quietly, standing up. Reno's hand immediately flew to his gun holster, and his face became hard. This time Vanitas laughed.

"It's flattering that you're so scared of me," Vanitas said suddenly.

"I'm glad that you're flattered," Reno replied shortly, and Vanitas grinned again. "But I regret to say that I was actually quite serious. I just thought that I'd warn you. He was very malleable."

Reno felt himself getting a little hot, and he looked around, anywhere but Vanitas. All this supernatural shit was getting him sweaty.

The two men sat in another bit of silence, and Reno's eyes were suddenly drawn up to Vanitas. Vanitas was looking directly at him, smiling broadly. Reno smiled back momentarily, and then looked away. He felt exposed for some reason. This kid was creeping the hell out of him.

"Glad to see that you're having fun," Reno muttered, and then bit his lip, thinking for a moment. Then, he sighed.

"Okay, you're probably going to tell me that I can't interrogate you forever, and I'll agree with you. So… I am going to spell everything out for you one more time and let you think about things by yourself," he said. Vanitas smiled again. "Lightning's already tried everything, Reno," he murmured, but Reno forged ahead anyway.

"When you were a little child, your parents died. You were a blank book, and you were going to be put into a mental institution, but thankfully, you were adopted by Master Xehanort, who took you in, experimented on you, and put darkness and steroids into you. Sounds like fun," Reno added, and noticed that Vanitas was not smiling any more. "You loved Xehanort so damn much that you let him use to forge the X-Blade for himself. You failed miserably, and were injected with heartless venom to keep you alive. You almost died, but you're smart, so you were able to figure out that shit with Namine. But what you might not know to its full extent is that Xehanort gave us all your information in order to turn you in. Did you know he said he feared for his life?"

"Maybe he did," Vanitas said in a hollow voice, and Reno laughed at him. "It's at moments like this when I see that kid in you shining through. I was able to leave Shinra before I got really messed up, but you have some serious Stockholm syndrome, kid."

Vanitas looked up at him coolly. "I don't love him," he replied mechanically, and Reno laughed again. "You think he's like your dad. That's the illusion you've made for yourself because you can't bear that the only person in the world that you trusted is using you for his own gain," Reno shot back. Vanitas' face betrayed real emotion for the first time. Reno could see the intense hatred Vanitas harbored within him swimming around in the boy's eyes. Reno smiled.

"People used to say I was 'sadistic' in Shinra. And I was a little bit. You give yourself an inch, and you take a mile. Now, you've gotten yourself put back together so you could _feel, _right? And if you go back to Xehanort, you're on the path to destruction yet again," Reno added, winking. "That's why I left Shinra. I had my wake up call. If this isn't enough of a wake up call for you, than you're stupider than I thought."

Reno stood up, and then turned back. "You know it's all going to go up in the news, right? Your whole history. And sensationalism is bad these days. Poor old Xehanort would never recover. And you'd be rotting in jail, so no skin off your teeth," Reno continued, smiling. Then, he shrugged. "But it's your call."

With that, he got ready to leave the room, but Vanitas stopped him with a slight cough, making Reno turn back to him.

"I was just wondering…" Vanitas started slowly, and Reno felt his negative energy seeping towards him.

"I was just wondering what your face looks like when you're being fucked," the boy chuckled, staring at the table with a half smile. "Maybe if I saw that, I'd be able to make a better decision," he added with muffled laugh.

Reno returned the laugh in the form of a small chuckle, shaking his head. "Oh the joys of being 19," he sighed. "I can see why they fed you that venom, now."

With that, he left Vanitas in the interrogation room. The boy was bent over the table in front of him, and seemed to be trying to contain manic laughter, almost convulsing with it. As Lightning and Reno watched him through the glass, Reno sighed heavily. "Well, put down on the report that I've effectively been scared shitless, and that should just about cover my success."

"Do you believe the last thing he said?" she asked, and Reno snorted. "That last comment was just a personalized 'fuck you', if you ask me. He's not going to tell us shit, Lightning," he said gravely, and parted ways with her momentarily so that he could go to the bathroom. But, he doubled back, touching Lightning's arm.

"And, uh, by the way, don't let the cop he flirted with talk to him again, alright?" he asked, and Lightning smiled. "You afraid he'll brainwash him?" she asked, and Reno shook his head, shrugging a little bit. "No, I just don't want him getting any ideas."

Then, he turned on his heel, and left the room.

…

Xion was sitting in Roxas' living room listening to the radio when the phone rang. She sighed, and let it go to voice mail before picking up, listening to see who was across the line.

"Hey, this is Reno, and well, I don't want to tell you if you're not there, but-"

Xion dived for the phone and almost threw it at her ear. "Hello?" she barked, trying to guess what was up. It could be a host of things; Vanitas, Namine, Ventus, Roxas, maybe even Axel…

"Hi," Reno began, and attempted to introduce himself properly, but Xion told him to skip the formalities and tell her exactly what was going on.

"Um, we've found Namine," he said simply.

Xion blinked for a moment, that was all she could do, really, and then she began to cry a little bit. Then, the crying turned into sobbing, and there was an awkward silence across the line as Reno tried to figure out the best way to comfort her, and if he had the right to comfort her. But, the crying stopped as abruptly as it had started, and Xion sighed a little across the line, as if putting it behind her.

"Sorry about that," she croaked, wiping at her eyes, "what do you need me to do? I've already handed in a copy of her birth certificate."

"Well, there will probably be a court date set, and they'll authenticate the certificate, we'll fly a few witnesses over from wherever you got it from, and then she should be okay," Reno explained calmly, continuing, "but I think things will be smooth sailing from here on out, Xion, because…" he was suddenly at a loss for words, trying to decide if the information he as about to disclose was actually confidential.

"What?" Xion asked expectantly, and Reno decided that he'd tell her.

"Marluxia is dead," he said shortly. "I won't tell you how because I don't have the grounds to do that."

"Did Namine do it?" Xion asked, frightened.

"No," Reno replied. He could hear Xion's relieved sigh across the line, and then a chuckle.

"Well, that's the best news all week. I think I'll make some college calls," she added, and Reno furrowed his eyebrows, not quite sure why she'd announced that. He didn't know how to respond, so he just mumbled a 'bye' and a 'have a nice day' and hung up.

Xion paced around the living room for a few minutes, before turning off the radio and pacing again. Her mind was not working straight. She said she'd call the colleges, but that wasn't the most important thing right now. Namine was coming home! She wondered if Reno and his investigators were going to arrange a court date for her.

"Oh my gosh!" Xion suddenly screeched, and regained control of herself. "Calm down, Xion," she commanded, rubbing her chest in a vain attempt to calm her hammering heart. "Calm yourself down."

There was the sound of the front door unlocking, and Roxas opened it, carrying in groceries with him. "Hey, Xion," he called in, setting the groceries down in the kitchen before putting them away. "How are things going?"

Xion barreled into the kitchen and flung herself at him, nearly knocking him into the open fridge. "Xion! What the hell!" he protested, but Xion shut him up quickly, kissing him passionately and quickly. His eyes nearly popped out of his sockets, but then he got used to it, and returned the kiss. Things slowly got more and more out of hand, until they found themselves on the table, with their shirts off. Roxas looked down at Xion's grey sports bra in the slightest disappointment, and shrugged, trying to kiss her again. But, she shoved his face away with her hand, and then mussed up his hair in a fit of giggles.

"Whad de hewl isf going on?" Roxas said, his cheeks still mushed together with the help of Xion's hands, and she giggled again, kissing him on the cheeks. "Great, great news, Roxas!" she squealed, and Roxas smiled, before diving for her chest.

"Stop it, Roxas!" she said in a mock scolding tone, and slapping him on the head as he kissed around her sports bra passionately. "There's important business to attend to!"

"Yeah, I know," Roxas said, blushing a little bit after he did, and Xion laughed at him. Roxas didn't look too happy.

"Hey, you're the one who's 'experienced' in all this stuff, and you won't let me near you!" Roxas whined, going back to putting the groceries away. His shirt as still off, and Xion stared at the muscles in his shoulders. They flexed as he put heavier items in the fridge, and he hummed a little bit as he put the stuff away. An old memory suddenly flashed by her, and she became sad momentarily.

"I don't want this one to be about that, Roxas," Xion said softly. Roxas looked up at her, recognizing her change in tone, and went over and gave her a tight hug. "Hey, I'm sorry," he said. "I can wait as long as you like," he added, grumbling almost inaudibly, "I'll be the laughing stock of our friend group, 'Roxas the old maid'…"

"What did you say?" Xion asked brightly, but Roxas shrugged, shaking his head. "I just said I'd wait for you forever if that's how long it took," he said, figuring that his grumbled comment would have _implied _him waiting for a very long time anyway.

He heard Xion chuckle behind him, and then her face got serious, and she put her shirt back on. "I just wanted to tell you that they found Namine," she said quickly.

Roxas laughed for a moment, nodding his head, before whipping his head around in disbelief. "They, she- WHAT?" he blubbered, and Xion got excited again, giving him a big hug. "They found her!" she said. "And apparently Marluxia is dead," she added softly, making Roxas run his fingers through his hair. "Holy shit," he breathed, rubbing his eyes a little bit. "This is just crazy."

"I know it is," Xion agreed. She moved away from him and looked out the window wistfully. "I want to do something special for her. Maybe we could have an after court party. Or a 'welcome home' party, to make her feel special," Xion thought, pacing again. Roxas looked at her as she walked back and forth. She always seemed to have something on her mind.

"You and I have always got something to worry about, haven't we?" he said, chuckling, but Xion shrugged. "Not to worry about. Just something to keep on our minds," she said simply.

Roxas chuckled again, and then his mind suddenly moved to Axel. He hadn't been such a great friend to Axel these past few weeks. At times when Roxas was alone, when he had a moment to let his mind wander, his thoughts eventually drifted to that promise he'd made Axel, and how he hadn't kept it. He always wondered if he should have kept it?

As Xion moved into the other room, Roxas sighed, sitting down at the kitchen table and putting his head in his hands. The whole world knew about the 'promise' now. The picture they'd painted with it was completely wrong, but people would not doubt believe it. Things would probably be harder for Axel from now on.

"Dammit!" Roxas growled to himself.

…

Namine sat uncomfortably in the car, readjusting her new dress that Roxas' mother had bought for her. She had already been in court, and in King Mickey's office, in order to sort out all of the money that she had given back to him before Marluxia could take it away. Mickey had, as it turned out, kept it away for her, and she thanked him greatly for it. A portion of it was back in her bank account, but the other portion was still with Mickey. She couldn't take any chances again, even though Marluxia was gone. And now, she was free. She didn't know if she felt like it though. Her mansion was gone, torn down. The place that had taken up an important part of her childhood was now out of her hands.

As she looked out the window, her nostrils flared. She was suddenly enraged- with everything. She didn't know why. She didn't know what to do, now. Now that Marluxia was gone. She only realized now how awful he had been to her- how truly awful people had been to her. She didn't deserve it. She simply didn't. But it had happened. There was no taking it back. There was nothing she could take back, now.

She suddenly wondered why she needed all the money she had asked for from King Mickey for the product Ansem was planning on patenting. She could never in a million years use it all up.

Roxas' house pulled closer and closer, and Namine's heart began to beat hard. She wondered if everyone would think she was different when she went inside. She felt different. A part of her was very distressed right now- and she knew what exactly that part was. She had an idea where it was, too.

"Here we are!" Roxas' mother piped up from the driver's seat, and Namine smiled a little bit, nodding to herself for no particular reason. She got out of the car, and headed towards the door, getting more nervous as she walked up the steps. Roxas' mother rung the doorbell, and then Xion opened the door, beaming at Namine. She threw her arms around the girl, to Namine's surprise, and then held her tight momentarily, squeezing her very hard. Namine felt the front of her dress get a little wet, and she held Xion back. They stood like that for a little while, until Xion parted ways with her, teary eyed with flushed cheeks. "I'm such a baby," she sighed, sniffing and wiping at her eyes. "But I'm really glad that you're back. I think you'll find that everyone else is, too."

With that, she led Namine into the living room of their house, where there was a chorus of shushes, and little giggles. Namine's hands began to get a little clammy, and she didn't know why she was so nervous. She smiled at Xion as Xion led her in to the living room, and then there was a mass of people coming towards her, hugging her with tears in their eyes. Xion stood in the background with Roxas, looking on in happiness at what she'd accomplished.

There was Riku, and then Kairi, and then Pence pushed over and said a bright hello, and then there was Axel, a surprise, and then Leon, and Aerith and her crowd, and then a whole host of other people. It was so overwhelming to Namine that she simply smiled and shook hands robotically, the same gesture over and over again, accepting hugs, shaking hands, smiling, nodding, comforting. She felt a presence behind her, and when she turned around, she noticed Ventus standing away from the crowd, simply taking it in. His eyes fell on her, and he beckoned for her to come up the stairs when she could. Suddenly, her heart beat faster, and she told everyone that she needed to go into the bathroom, rather loudly so that Ventus could hear her.

After she'd ascended the stairs and entered the bathroom, she found that Ventus was already seated on the side of the sink, looking out the window nonchalantly. His arm and fingers were bandaged up. He looked around and smiled at her, charmingly.

"You must be the famous Namine," he began. She held out her hand for him to shake, and he waved her off with his good hand. "You've been doing that for an hour already, I figure you're tired of it."

She smiled at him, a small grin that slowly spread across her face, and nodded. "Yes, I am a bit overwhelmed."

Ventus sighed, and nodded to himself, before continuing.

"I was fascinated that you were able to have so much control over Vanitas' thoughts. You inspired me," he added with a chuckle.

Namine shrugged. "I've always had a… persuasion over people. Especially the ones that were close to Sora," she added, making Ventus look at her in surprise. "Why?"

"Because at one time I loved him," she said simply. Ventus laughed quietly to himself, nodding.

"Do you know what the deal is with Vanitas?" Ventus asked, and Namine looked straight into his eyes. "You would know too, right?"

Ventus shrugged at this. "I just want to know your opinion."

"He's in jail."

Ventus tensed up at this, and then his breathing became ragged as he nodded. He suddenly stood up, and went towards the window, turning away from Namine. "That's great," he said breathlessly, shaking a little bit. "That's great," he repeated.

"Why?" Namine said suddenly, and Ventus turned around to face her. "Because I'm afraid of him. I don't mind being honest with you. I hate him," he added with a snarl.

There was a vitriolic air that hung around the space between them, and both Ventus and Namine sensed it. "Do you disagree?" Ventus asked, knowing the answer.

"He's been used his whole life," Namine replied. "Do you have any idea how he got the way he did?"

"I don't really care," Ventus said simply. Namine shook her head in disbelief. "I just can't understand why no one is blaming the guy who actually started all of this!"

"Who, Xehanort?" Ventus replied shortly. "Oh, I'm scared of him, too, don't think I'm not."

There was more silence. Then, a chuckle from Ventus.

"I think if we talk any more about this, we're not going to end up not liking each other very much," Ventus said simply, and almost exited the room, before being pulled back by a sudden thought that had entered his head.

"Look," he began, furrowing his eyebrows. "I know I am extremely biased… but… Vanitas is psychotic. He might have feelings now, but he also has a lot of hate in him. And there are a lot of people he can take it out on," he continued. "It's best to be careful," he added knowingly, seeming to examine Namine before moving past her and out the bathroom door.

He left Namine alone, to fight with herself. She clung to the counter in front of her with a steel grip, still conflicted.

Perhaps Ventus couldn't contact Vanitas because he hated him so much. The more Namine waded into Vanitas' thoughts, the more she felt sorry for Vanitas. The more she remembered what Vanitas had said to her.

Leaving him to rot in jail was wrong in her eyes. But how could she let a weapon with free will go wherever it pleased? He _had _made her feel uncomfortable on some occasions. What could she even do in this situation? But, if Vanitas was smart enough to accomplish all that he'd done already, it would be easy for him to get out of jail. What if he went back to Xehanort?

She took one more look in the mirror and noticed that she was very tired. She didn't want to talk to people, or think. All she wanted to do was sleep in an actual bed. In a place that was safe.


	22. The End

**This is almost it! T.T Hope you all like it, sorry for leaving you all in the dark for so long. I am back with the end! It's kind of unusual, but please hang tight for that epilogue. I love the epilogues. Epilogues rock. Anyway, thanks for reading, tell me what you think as I will probably come back and edit this thing up in the future, make it glimmer. **

Vanitas sat in a special cell, with a bed; a bedside table… there was even a light on the ceiling. It was really weird. There were some reading selections in the bedside table, and he skimmed through one of them with a snort. It was called _Crime and Punishment_. Another was _The State of Modern Law, _and the last one was, quite out of place, _A History of A People, _which was about the Cetra, an ancient race that apparently inhabited the planet 2,000 years ago. It was fairly interesting, with some fantastically drawn diagrams and pictures, but Vanitas quickly lost interest, and let out a sigh, throwing it onto the bed and looking out the window, which was barred by steel frames. He shook his head with a chuckle. They were really trying to make him feel comfortable.

There was a knock on the door, and he couldn't help but grin as he said, "come in". Reno peeked his head through the door and gave a quick smile before shuffling in further, and sitting comfortably on Vanitas' bed. He looked around absentmindedly for a moment, before picking up _Crime and Punishment _with a chuckle, skimming through it himself.

"I read this in 10th grade," Reno said abruptly, and Vanitas stared at him coolly, wondering if he would attempt to interrogate him again.

"I skimmed through it and cheated on most of the tests, though, thought it was stupid," he added with a grin. "I was great at tests back then." He laughed abruptly to himself, shaking his head with the memory. "But I read it later on, actually, while I was in Shinra, too, if you can believe it. It really resonated with me," he added softly. "But I never finished it," he added, putting the book carefully back under the bedside table with a nonchalant gaze.

Vanitas narrowed his eyes at him in curiosity. "Why didn't you finish it?"

Reno smiled. "Well, I thought he was going to confess," he said simply. When he saw that Vanitas didn't understand, Reno smiled. "I'm surprised a smart fellow like you hasn't read this. It's about this poor kid, Rodion, who kills this nasty old lady and her friend to get money. He's really guilty about it, and he falls in love with this girl who tells him to confess. In the end, he's about to get away with the perfect crime, and that's when I stopped," he added. Vanitas looked down at the book again, intrigued by Reno's short explanation.

"And you identified with Rodion?" Vanitas asked. Reno nodded. "At first when I was in Shinra, I tried to convince myself that I was killing bad people. And then the lines got fainter and fainter, and then before I knew it I was killing people who I knew were alright," he chuckled sadly. Then, his smile faded and his expression became intense.

"And you want me to confess?" Vanitas asked. Reno stared out the window, before looking at him, shaken out of his daydreaming. He shrugged. "Well, you know, it wouldn't be half bad."

"But by confessing, you don't mean saying 'I did it'… you want me to lie…" Vanitas replied softly. His yellow eyes glowed dimly from under his black eyelashes, and there were shadows under his eyes. Reno didn't know if they'd always been there, or if it was a lack of sleep.

"I just want you to tell the _whole _truth…" Reno responded in the same tone as Vanitas. The two looked at each other for a moment, before Vanitas cracked a smile. "Sorry about what I said to you yesterday. Though I would have liked to see it," he added, shooting a charming smile at Reno. Reno felt himself getting sweaty and nervous again, and he tried to find a way to escape the vibes that Vanitas was sending at him. This environment was too absurd to get anything accomplished. Vanitas was purposefully treating it all like a joke.

"Look kid, I'm trying to help you," Reno grumbled, and Vanitas' smile disappeared. "No. That's a lie. You're trying to help yourself. And you have the nerve to say that you're 'helping' me…"

"Well that's exactly what Xehanort said, and his lies seemed to work," Reno shot back. There was more heavy silence.

"All I'm saying is that you have the chance to turn over a new leaf," Reno said suddenly. "It's not the most _noble _transition into the nobler world… but negotiation gets you a long way, these days…" Reno said.

Vanitas paused, looking away from Reno and leaning on the wall behind him. "I was never good at negotiation," he murmured. "That was what Xehanort did."

Reno leaned forward in anticipation, nodding for Vanitas to continue. "Yeah, we can help you with that."

Vanitas chuckled and eyed Reno closer. "But isn't that just the same?" he asked. Reno looked confused, and smiled a little bit, not quite knowing what to say. Vanitas smiled at him coolly.

"Everyone has their own plans for me, you know?"

"Vanitas, the reason we're trying to stop Xehanort is so that he can't cause any more trouble!" Reno growled. "What if he got a hold of another kid like you? What do you think would happen to that kid?"

Vanitas looked away with a stony glare at that point, making Reno trail off. It seemed useless trying to talk to the kid.

Reno was about to say something else, but there was a knock on the door, and Lightning poked her head in. "There's a girl here to see him," she said, and Reno beckoned for the girl to be let in."

Namine walked in with a new, clean dress on, looking thoroughly uncomfortable. Reno stayed in the room with the two younger people for a moment, Namine awkwardly looking ahead of her. Reno finally understood, and his mouth formed into an 'o' shape. "Oh, you want me to leave?"

Namine shrugged, but Reno put his hand up. "It's fine, I'll leave you two to chat."

With that, he left the room, and Namine and Vanitas were alone. She sighed to herself, and smoothed back her hair, looking over at Vanitas with a slightly unreadable glance. Vanitas smiled back at her with the same look, and felt like he was matched.

"The white witch pays a visit!" he chuckled to himself, eyeing Namine to see her reaction. She stood there, still unreadable in the soft glow the sunshine from the window left on her skin.

"Vanitas… I have not been… happy," she started. "I don't know if I'll ever have a normal life."

Vanitas blinked up at her, before narrowing his eyes and letting his mouth spread out into a wide grin. He beckoned for Namine to come closer to him, and she did, sitting down beside him. He suddenly wrapped his arms around her, and hugged her intensely. The accepted human contact felt strange to them, especially Vanitas. Namine heard a hitch in his throat as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Can you feel anything?" he murmured, and Namine shrugged. "Will we ever love?" Vanitas added, and Namine looked up at him in alarm, smiling nervously. "Love? We love, Vanitas."

Vanitas smiled at her. "Have you really, though? You can only truly love someone if you become close to them. I've often thought that I loved Xehanort- even Ventus at times. But it was more like a magnetism."

"I've loved," Namine said defensively, making Vanitas laugh. "Sorry for bothering you," he added. Then he pulled out the books from underneath the bedside table, setting them in Namine's lap and letting go of her. "Want to read?" he asked as she looked at the books. She shook her head, moving the books to the side and looking closer at Vanitas.

"Vanitas, if we're talking about magnetism, I feel that towards you," she said urgently. "I feel something strange that attracts me to you, and I know it can't just be the fact that I'm connected to you, now."

Vanitas looked away as she spoke, his heart beating louder in his chest. It hurt for some reason. Perhaps he was sad. Perhaps his heart was tired.

"I think it's what you said. How you're the only one who can understand me."

Vanitas looked into Namine's eyes as she said this. They were sad, and looked older than her eighteen years. They looked faded. He suddenly wrapped his hands around either side of her face, and stared into her blue eyes intently, seething with emotion. "Don't you dare let those eyes fade," he hissed. "You can't let them fade. Mine won't fade."

"What if it's too late, Vanitas?" Namine whispered almost inaudibly. "I feel lost. I think I've become really… messed up…"

"That's fine," Vanitas said, wiping hair out of her eyes. He felt inexplicably connected to this girl now. It was like their hearts were bound together.

"That's why I can't be with you right now," Namine stated further, and Vanitas let go of her face, flabbergasted. She sighed, undoubtedly upset. "I know we're supposed to stick together. But you and I are hurt. I need a little time to figure myself out before I go with you."

"Go with me?" Vanitas murmured, and Namine nodded. "You said awhile ago that if I wanted to come with you I could. But I can't right now. If I'm going to figure things out, I need time. I need someone that's… _all together_."

"Am I not good enough for you?" Vanitas hissed. "Too psychotic?"

"Yes," Namine said bluntly. "But once I've gotten stronger, I'll seek you out," she whispered intensely, squeezing Vanitas' hand. "Because I believe what you said with all my heart."

With that, she stood up, and went to the door, stopping before she left. "I'm not going to tell you what to do. But I'll be in your corner, whatever you decide."

Then, she left Vanitas on his own. He clenched and unclenched his fists, more confused now than he was before. He didn't know what to think or how to feel. He _needed _to see Xehanort. He needed to talk to him, to set things straight.

He set about thinking of ways that he could get out of the cell. Reno would be off duty in three hours, and they'd have to put someone else in in his place. Sure enough, Reno clocked out, and a young policeman was put in his place. Vanitas knocked on the door, but the policeman ignored him. Vanitas looked out of the door at him, and willed the man to look at him, until the man turned around and met Vanitas' eyes. Vanitas smiled at him, gushing, and the young man blushed. Vanitas beckoned for him to open the door, and the young man did so without hesitation.

"Uh, what do you need?" the young man asked, and Vanitas tested the power that he seemed to have, and sat on the bed. He closed his eyes, and felt something inside the man. Perhaps it was his heart. "I just want to go for a walk," Vanitas sighed sadly, trying to weed his way into the man's conscious. This new power was fascinating. Was this what the creation of the X-blade entailed?

"You're not allowed," the man said weakly, and Vanitas sighed, chuckling and nodding. "Yeah, I know how hard this is for you," he whispered. "But, if you can imagine, it's pretty hard for me, too, having to sit here all day, inside…"

The policeman hesitated, before opening the cell door for Vanitas. "Here," he grumbled, pointing into the hallway, "There's your chance to take a walk."

"How about we go out together so I don't get the urge to do anything crazy?" Vanitas murmured with that ever-charming smile, and the man blushed a little bit, nodding briskly and leading Vanitas down the hall. "And let's go a way that no one will bother to go down? I really don't want to get caught before even getting out the door," Vanitas chuckled. He put his arm around the police officer, who seemed to soften under his grip. The young man grinned up at Vanitas in a friendly way, like the uncomfortable air had dissipated, like they weren't really doing anything wrong. As they neared the back door, Vanitas looked down at the man curiously. "Just out of curiosity, do you prefer cars or motorcycles?"

"Oh, motorcycles," the young man said knowingly. "I've got a blue one out back, actually," he added, wanting Vanitas to ask him more. "What kind?" Vanitas asked, and the man grinned. "It's a Dietrich, model X. Just out," he bragged. Vanitas nodded to himself, but did not respond.

They headed towards the emergency stairs, and descended them until they got to the bottom floor. The back door was opened, and the policeman let Vanitas out in front of him. Vanitas closed his eyes as the wind rushed against his face, and he sighed in contentment. Then, he turned to the policeman, and grinned. "Sorry, buddy. You lose."

With that, Vanitas swiftly knocked the man out, letting him slump on the inside of the back door. After taking a pair of keys out of the man's pocket, Vanitas closed the door, and slithered around to the various cars and motorcycles that were parked out back. He searched around for the man's motorcycle, and found it at the very back. It took him a few tries to get the right key for it, but Vanitas quickly turned the motor on, and whizzed off down the back street. He bit his lip, wondering how much time he'd have before the bureau would be after him. The security guards must have seen him, but he did not have time to think about that.

He had to get to Xehanort.

….

Xehanort sat at his desk, sipping on coffee. Kadaj was not there at the moment. Out of the corner of his eye, Xehanort saw a black shape move across the room, and then the air from the window it had come through billowed out towards him.

The black figure sat across from Xehanort expectantly, and Xehanort set his coffee down to look up at who he knew was in front of him.

"Vanitas," he said simply, and the boy nodded to him, surprisingly well put together. He was not at all in the state that Xehanort had expected him to be in.

"Xehanort," Vanitas began, hesitating, "I have heard distressing news of how you led the police to me. I thought we were a team," he added.

Xehanort chuckled, shaking his head. "Vanitas," he murmured, looking out the window with a sigh, "you have been working for me for close on fifteen years. That is a long time," he chuckled. Vanitas stayed silent. "And in those fifteen years you have served me well, but there have no doubt been some hiccups in your service…"

Vanitas looked down at his hands in shame at this, but his face lit up as he looked back up to Xehanort. "But look at me!" he said with a smile. "I have completed the X-blade! I have the key to unlock people's hearts! I am more powerful than I ever was before!" he leaned in closer to Xehanort and held the man's hand in desperation. "I can help you," he said lowly.

Again, Xehanort looked out the window before continuing. "Vanitas, it may be true that you now have light and dark inside of you. I would be surprised if you figured it out… but the time for the X-blade in the way that I first tried it has long passed…"

Vanitas couldn't understand what he was hearing as Xehanort stood up with his empty coffee cup to dispose of it. He called one of his butlers over to take it from him, and then sat back down.

"Vanitas, you have failed me," he said simply. "The best thing I can do now is give you permanent leave, and I took the initiative of giving you a chance at redemption. If you take the jail time, I will make sure it is easy for you," he added, "but I am sure that you won't run into any trouble."

Vanitas stayed silent, his palms on the desk in front of him. Xehanort reached out and held his hand, smiling at Vanitas. Vanitas felt his eyes tear up, and he wiped them away in irritation. "Yes, sir. I understand. I'm sorry."

"I forgive you," Xehanort said. "Kadaj has become my new assistant. Think of this as time for you to heal."

Vanitas remembered what Namine said, and nodded to himself, thinking that perhaps some break time would do him some good. The fact that Kadaj had replaced him entered his mind, but he pushed it away as soon as it did.

"You may go," Xehanort said coldly, and Vanitas excited. He turned back to Xehanort with a forlorn smile. "Can I pack my things?"

This made Xehanort snort, but he waved Vanitas off, giving the young man permission. "Don't get your fingerprints on anything," he added in warning, and Vanitas nodded again and left.

He went up to what used to be his tiny room, and noticed that it was untouched. This made him feel better for some reason, and he smiled as he went up to the little box of his belongings. Then, his smile disappeared as he remembered that he had burned them.

"Dammit," he said to himself, his throat nearly squeezing shut. He abhorred emotion. Especially when it was forcing him to cry. In a way, though, it was invigorating feeling the tears running down his face. He hadn't cried in a very, very long time. It had been almost ten years since he'd cried.

The absurdity of this hit him suddenly, and he began to laugh again, that hysterical laughter that had overcame him after Reno had questioned him. He wondered what he thought of the man. He was good looking. Surprisingly, Vanitas had never had sex before. He'd been too busy 'doing Xehanort's bidding' to think of anything like that. Even so, he wouldn't have felt anything emotionally. Physically, he wondered how it felt. It probably felt good. That made him laugh again, and he wiped the tears away from his eyes as he let his thoughts wander.

They eventually drifted to Namine, and his heart fell a little bit. He looked around the small room in front of him, thinking hard, before he became enraged, and began tearing the room apart, smashing his 'souvenir' box on the wall and knocking over his dresser and the lamp, and separating the covers from the bed before knocking the bed over. He destroyed everything in a blind rage, surprised that he was still so strong. He wondered if anything that had been put into Sephiroth had been put into him. It disgusted him to think that he was nothing but a science experiment. A lost cause.

But he wasn't, was he? He'd figured out the secret. He'd successfully guaranteed his life. And now it would be spent in jail?

He'd never done anything of his own accord. He'd never had a life of his own; someone was always dragging him around. The police would probably recruit him early on in his jail sentence; perhaps they'd make him a part of the bureau because of his experience, like they did for Reno. And then he'd become a pawn used by someone else.

He mussed up his hair in dissatisfaction, sighing heavily and looking at the ruin about him. His bad arm throbbed from his previous activity, but what he felt inside numbed that pain. He chuckled, rubbing his eyes hard. "I'm a mess," he whispered to himself with a tired grin. His room seemed so small. Like a cell.

Suddenly, he had the urge to go look in the restricted part of Xehanort's library, to see if there was any documentation on himself. He remembered how to get in there. What he would find in there, he had no idea…

…..

Reno tapped on his desk with his pen, scribbling random stuff down that he had been researching. Lightning had been put in charge of retrieving Vanitas, and, the bureau higher ups were finally thinking that this kid wasn't going to be easy to get a hold of. Of course, it had been 'all Reno's men's' fault that the kid had escaped, even though Reno knew the persuasive power the kid had over people. But how could that go onto a report.

"_Sorry, the kid escaped because he was just so damn charming." _

Vanitas creeped the shit out of Reno anyway, and the less time Reno spent around him, the better. He always felt like Vanitas' yellow eyes were boring into his soul. In fact, just thinking about those yellow eyes made Reno want to hide himself behind his desk.

"Shit, get a hold of yourself, Reno!" he barked suddenly, standing up and beginning to pace. As he did, he heard the door to the offices slam, and Lightning charged into Reno's office in a hissy, throwing her coat on the chair in front of Reno's desk.

"What can I do you for?" Reno asked, but Lightning held her finger up, signaling him to be quiet. Then, she softened, sitting down in the chair in front of Reno's desk. She sighed. "I am a failure," she said suddenly, and Reno heard the faintest hint of shakiness in her voice. He immediately bounded over to her, and leaned on the desk in front of her, not wanting to touch her lest she recoiled. He simply stayed silent, waiting for her to speak.

"I've been a bad sister," she muttered. "I've been a bad everything."

"No you haven't," Reno replied in a murmur, but Lightning shook her head.

"My pride let Vanitas do what he wanted countless times. It's my fault that he didn't open up to me. It's my fault that he escaped. I underestimated him yet again," she sighed, rubbing her eyes. "I just get so sure of things that I forge right ahead into them. I destroy everything, I'm brash, toxic..." She stopped speaking, choosing instead to put her head in her hands. Reno felt uncomfortable, not knowing what to do. Finally, Lightning looked up at him with a sour expression. "Well, aren't you going to comfort me?" she snapped, and Reno jumped to attention, throwing his arms around her with a hidden grin. "You don't have to if you don't want to," she added wistfully, but Reno rubbed her arms as he hugged her. "It's okay, I'll only hold you if you need it."

This somehow was the right thing to say, and Lightning looked up at him with a radiant smile. Reno knew that he'd done something _very _right, but he didn't capitalize on it, instead smiling back at her sheepishly. "You're a very good man, despite everything," Lightning added, making Reno snort. "Despite everything?" he said, wanting to hear more, but Lightning ignored him, and stood up with a grin.

"I'll change. Perhaps my country doesn't need someone like me. Perhaps I'll stay here," she added unsurely, making Reno's heart skip a beat. "Hey, that sounds like a great idea. If you need somewhere to stay, my place is always free!" he added with a little too much eagerness. Lightning laughed, nodding. "That sounds like a fine idea. Maybe you can smooth out my wrinkles," she added with a wink, and Reno suddenly didn't know if that was pertaining to her disposition, or if it was a sexual innuendo. If it was sexual, which it most likely wasn't, he couldn't really comprehend what it would even mean. Even so, he hoped it was sexual.

"Right then!" he almost sang, near skipping out of the office. "Do you need any of my help for this endeavor?" he said, reminding her of the Vanitas mission. She nodded. "You seem to really know his ins and outs," she replied. Reno chuckled nervously, nodding a little. "Yeah, that creeps me out a little, but if I'm the expert on our masked boy, then I guess I have no choice but to tag along…"

They both exited the headquarters, and began the long drive to Xehanort's home. They wanted to see if there had been any more developments. The drive was relatively low key, there were no arguments, and they even stopped off at a fast food restaurant along the way, which Lightning _never _did before. Reno talked happily between bites of hamburger, and Lightning ate his fries on him, to which he stole her fries. They were having way too much fun. They finally reached Xehanort's house, and Lightning put on her 'bad cop' face again.

"I'll be good cop," Reno said jokingly, and Lightning looked at him with a blank gaze. "What?" she asked dumbly, and Reno snorted, waving his hand away. "Of course you don't get the pop culture reference…"

"Tell me what it is, I want to know!"

"Come one, let's not chat on the job, we have work to do!" Reno replied in a singsong voice, trotting over to Xehanort's front door. The old man suddenly rushed out of his home, and grabbed Reno's arm.

"He's in there, right now!" he hissed, and Reno eyed him carefully, not believing his 'scared for his life' act. "Oh yeah?" Reno said nonchalantly, pushing past Xehanort. "The best thing to do is to act calm, like nothing is going on."

"He probably sees you from the window," Xehanort added, making Reno pick up the pace, a little irritated. "Right, then, here we go!" he growled, gritting his teeth. "Third time's the charm," he added in a murmur, and charged quietly into the house with his gun up by his head in ready position.

He mounted the stairs, figuring that Vanitas would be in his room. When he got to the room, he gasped a little, before chuckling. The bed was broken, the dresser was knocked over, and everything was in disarray. There was even a tiny smashed souvenir box in the back of the room, lying forlorn against the left wall. Reno quickly regrouped, thinking of where else Vanitas could be. His eyes were drawn to the window, and his heart nearly stopped when he saw Vanitas speaking with a silver haired young man. They seemed to be having an argument, and Reno could see through the angle of the window that Vanitas seemed to be trying to hide something behind his back. It was folded into the waist of his trousers, slightly crumbled. Reno let out a long breath as he thought that perhaps that paperwork could hold the key to Xehanort's capture. Reno quickly and quietly slipped down the stairs, heading towards the back door in a hurry. He could hear low but angry voices talking outside the back door, and then there was the sound of a muffled cry, and then scuffling.

When he burst out of the door, he pointed his gun in front of him, just in time to notice Vanitas and Kadaj on the ground, beating the hell out of each other.

"Break it up or I'll shoot, you bastard!" Reno roared at Vanitas, and the young man grinned maliciously, continuing to concentrate on Kadaj. "Shoot if you like, I've got nothing to lose," Vanitas hissed. The young man had a crazed expression on his face, and he had a killing intent in his eyes. It was like he had completely broke.

Reno looked around for something more efficient than his gun, and he saw a rake lying on the ground at the side of the door. He picked it up, and shoved it into Vanitas' face, making the boy fly backwards onto the ground.

Kadaj tried to slip into the back door, and Reno suddenly recognized him. "You're Sephiroth's… kid…" he remembered everything that Kadaj had done, remembered it from years back, but Kadaj pointed behind him. "He's getting away!" he said, giving Reno a choice. Reno hesitated, and then growled to himself, pursuing Vanitas into the forest. He called Lightning on his walki talki.

"Sephiroth's kid is here, we've got to interrogate him," Reno snapped, and Lightning said she was on it. Reno could barely see the outline of Vanitas, dipping around trees. Then, he was gone for just a second, behind a tree, before Reno crossed it breathlessly, running smack into Vanitas. It was a shock to him, and he reeled back, not missing Vanitas' punch. Reno fell to the ground, and to his surprise, Vanitas stayed near him, fuming. Reno realized that Vanitas had got a hold of his gun.

"Why do you keep following me?" Vanitas roared, and Reno chuckled at the stupidity of the question. Though, when Vanitas pointed Reno's gun at his tattooed cheek, he got a little quieter. Vanitas grinned madly at him. "You look nice on the bottom," Vanitas sneered, and Reno sighed, trying to figure out how to handle the situation. He was suddenly remembering parts of his life.

"Listen, kid, I'm hunting you down because it's my job," Reno began in a low, breathless voice. "I _have to."_

"Or else you'll become a 'customs official'," Vanitas laughed, and Reno's face went white. "How did you know that?" he snapped, and Vanitas laughed at Reno's look of horror. "You're really scared of me aren't you?" Vanitas mumbled, shaking his head. Reno sighed, closing his eyes, and then he opened them again, calming down so he could speak coherently. "Listen, kid, it's got nothing to do with you. I told you that I'd _help _you. We just want Xehanort."

"Of course, I'm just the middle man, huh?" Vanitas snorted, making Reno chuckle nervously. "Yeah, that's it exactly."

"And in regards to how I found out about your fall from grace, I found out by talking to people. You can find a lot out by talking to people, listening. You also have two brothers. That's sweet. I only knew about Axel, but I hear you've got a baby brother too."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Reno cried. "Are you out for my family? I've tried to help you!"

"Ah, lay off, Reno, it's got nothing to do with you," Vanitas mocked, and Reno gritted his teeth, tired of being played by a kid.

"What if I told you about him?" Vanitas said. "What if I told you everything? Would that inspire you to let me go?"

"Maybe," Reno said in relief, nodding. "Maybe it would."

Lightning came in on Reno's walkie-talkie, and he looked down helplessly at the device in his pocket. He tried to reach for it, but Vanitas stopped him, taking it from him and stepping on it.

"You're not going to let me go, are you? You all wouldn't have gotten your full use out of me would you?" Vanitas hissed, his rage building. Reno knew that if he couldn't get the kid calmed down, he'd be dead.

"Look, do you have brothers?" Reno tried, and Vanitas stopped in his tracks, narrowing his eyes. "We changing the subject, now?"

"Yeah!" Reno tried to say, surely. "If you think you're being treated unfairly, then how about you interrogate me?"

"What?" Vanitas snorted, his anger ebbing. Reno tried grinning, but it came out as a weird grimace, he was so scared. "Yeah, because I interrogated you, and you didn't want to talk about stuff."

"You may give me ideas," Vanitas said flatly, making Reno shrug. "Sounds good. Let's talk about something else. I'd rather not be interrogated, anyway."

"No, I've got some questions for you," Vanitas sneered. "What's your little brother's name?"

Reno's eyes got big, making Vanitas laugh. "Tell me or I'll shoot," Vanitas added, more serious. Reno hesitated, thinking about it. He'd already betrayed his brother before; it would be awful to do it again.

Vanitas' smile became bigger, and he chuckled. "Now you know how it feels," he murmured.

"The difference between me and you is that what I'm fighting for is someone who actually looks up to me!" Reno barked, to Vanitas' surprise. "I don't know what the hell you're fighting for. Some twisted version of loyalty."

Reno trailed off as the gun was mashed into his cheek. He could hardly talk anyway, but he didn't want to get Vanitas too riled up again. "Uh… did you read _Crime and Punishment_?" Reno asked suddenly, but Vanitas stayed silent, his gun still pointed at Reno. He bent down in front of the red head to get a better look at him, narrowing his eyes. "Did you hear what I said?" Reno tried again even nicer this time, without trying to kiss ass.

"I read the end," Vanitas said simply. Reno couldn't shake his head, so he just sighed. "You ruined it!" he mumbled. "You've got to read the whole thing…"

"In three hours?"

"What?" Reno asked, and Vanitas finally grinned again. "The three hours between the time you visited my cell to the time I escaped."

"So you read the end in those hours?"

"Yeah."

"What did you think?"

Vanitas smiled wider. "Do you want to know what happened?"

Reno eyed Vanitas closely, trying not to glare at him. "I might have liked to read it myself," he mumbled, and Vanitas laughed. "You wouldn't have read it."

"Fine. Tell me," Reno said sulkily.

"He confesses," Vanitas said. "Because of some girl who he likes."

"Sonya?" Reno asked, and Vanitas nodded, making Reno snort. "Ah… load of shit. Women, eh?"

This made Vanitas grin wider, and the gun went away from Reno's cheek. Vanitas looked intently down at him once more, and smiled sadly. "Circumstances are a funny thing."

"Why?" Reno asked, chancing sitting up.

"Perhaps, if we'd met under different ones we could have been friends," Vanitas murmured, half to himself. This shocked Reno a little bit, and in his stupor, Vanitas backed away from him, and disappeared. Reno jumped up, shaken from his haze, and ran after Vanitas, trying to pursue him, but he found that there was no point. He didn't really want to pursue the boy, anyway.

"Shit!" he grumbled to himself, thinking of how he'd just let the boy go.

Vanitas could have shot him. Instead, Vanitas let Reno go. He took his gun, too. Now the blame would be on him again. The customs officer badge was his for sure.

Then, Reno finally thought of Rodion from the book. At least he wasn't being made go to jail for working for Shinra. Perhaps he deserved his new job for what he did. Then Reno began realizing that he could have gotten a lot worse. He ruined a lot of families.

"Guilt is a terrible thing," he sighed, trying to shove his old memories far back into his mind. He sauntered back to Xehanort's house, calling Lightning in on his walkie-talkie.

"Did you get him?" Lightning breathed, but Reno had to tell her no. "I have a gun mark on my cheek to prove that he bested me," Reno added, getting himself a little worked up. He was getting sweaty and nervous again. If the two of them had have been 'friends' in a different situation, then Reno was a masochist. But, whatever floated the kid's boat.

"Dammit," Lightning muttered. "Where are you?"

"Coming out of the forest. Did you interview Kadaj?"

"Yeah, he seems like a good guy."

Reno narrowed his eyes. "You don't know him…"

Lightning didn't pry further, instead letting Reno pick his way through the brush back towards the back door of the house. He went inside, and strode through the hallways, back out the front door and towards Lightning. "Honestly," he breathed in a dejected way, "I think he's gone for good."

Lightning's eyes widened, and she bent her head in deep disappointment.

"I'm sorry, Lightning," Reno mumbled, and Lightning waved her hand in front of her. "No, you did your best. If not for you, no one would've even known he'd gone. Did he tell you anything?"

"He was trying to kill me, Lightning!" Reno barked, still shaken. "But I did try to ask him about Xehanort. He just got angrier."

"That's fine, Reno," Lightning breathed in return. Then, she chuckled grimly. "Do you like Nibelhiem?"

Reno snorted. "It's cold and rainy and I prefer the heat, but I'll have to cope, won't I? At least they're not just _firing _me."

"Yeah, they've got to keep you in sight," Lightning said playfully, and realized a few moments after she'd said it that it had a huge effect on Reno by the look on his face. "I'm sorry," she added bluntly, but Reno waved her off.

"It hurts because it's true, Lightning," he murmured. Then, he chuckled and shook his head. "They'll probably never trust me, which is for the best. And now they'll think I just let the kid go. Maybe they'll think I'm_ planning_ something with him," he added, making a 'comic villain plotting' expression.

Lightning smiled, and patted him on the back. "It'll take a while to drive back to headquarters, and after that, we can go home."

Reno nodded, and they got back to work. They stayed at the house for another hour, trying to look around as much as they could without attracting attention from Xehanort or his 'sidekick' and then they traveled home.

Lightning put the radio on as they drove home, and they sang along to old pop songs, Reno sitting in the passenger seat for once. He began to dance, making Lightning laugh at him. As she laughed, Reno looked at her wistfully. Upon seeing his facial expression, Lightning looked at him in alarm.

"What is it?" she asked, and Reno shook his head with a chuckle. "You have the most beautiful laugh and you never let anyone hear it."

"I guess that makes you the lucky one, huh?" she asked, making Reno beam. "Yeah, yeah…" he added. Then, he fidgeted a little. "You know, when I move to Nibelheim, and if you stay here, I'm not going to see you as often."

"I'll come to see you as much as I can. It's not that long of a drive," Lightning said nonchalantly.

They finally got to Reno's apartment, which was very upscale, and when they got into it, Reno sighed, hugging its walls. "I'm going to have to say goodbye to you, soon," he mumbled. Lightning chuckled to herself, before pulling him away from the wall and bringing him over to the couch. They sat on it together; slowly inching closer to each other- mostly the inching was being done by Reno, trying to be subtle. But every once in a while, Lightning would lean to the side, letting herself get closer to Reno, until she leaned against him. He sighed in content, rubbing her arm.

"You know, after all the trouble we've been through together…" Reno began, trailing off, and Lightning looked up at him expectantly. "And what?"

Reno shrugged sheepishly, smiling back at Lightning. "I don't know. I thought I was going somewhere with that."

Lightning laughed a little bit, and let herself snuggle closer to Reno, content for the first time in a long time. He rubbed her arm again, this time slowing down a little bit. He began to hum absent mindedly, closing his eyes.

He felt Lightning's nose nuzzle into his neck, and he chuckled as it tickled him, putting his finger up under her chin and raising her face towards his. They looked at each other for a moment, Lightning's eyes surprisingly gentle, and then their lips became closer and closer, until they touched.

Reno was doing backflips internally at this point, and he tried not to let the smile that was taking over his whole face get out to more than a small grin. He slowly began kissing Lightning a little harder, until they were clinging onto each other, forgetting everything they were thinking about before.

Reno ran his hand underneath Lightning's shirt, and let it go higher and higher until it rested over her left breast. He fondled it lightly, and Lightning let out a small breathy sigh, and then an unintelligible murmur. Then, his other hand reached up under the back of her shirt, running up her back, stroking it, until it found her bra strap. He was just about to undo it, when Lightning let out a cry in protest, pushing Reno away suddenly.

The redhead sat, gob struck for a moment, watching Lightning in disbelief as she readjusted herself, breathing out heavily and raggedly like she was close to breaking down in tears. Then, she got control of her breath, and lied back on the couch, seemingly emotionally exhausted.

"Uh… mind telling me what that was all about?" Reno asked lightly, trying to smile, and Lightning held her hand up for him to stop talking. They sat in silence for a moment, a little awkwardly, as Reno wondered if he had gone too fast. They had probably been kissing heavily for about three minutes before he started trying to get under her shirt. Was that too short for her?

"I'm sorry," Lightning said suddenly, and Reno was pulled out of his thoughts. She looked very upset, and vulnerable, which was arousing for Reno but made him sad at the same time. He chanced putting his arm around her, and surprisingly, she clung to him as if he was her only support. Reno was about to say something, but he figured that staying silent was the best option, and he sat there, saying nothing, listening to the whir of the fan above him and the faint sound of Lightning weeping underneath his chin.

….

Reno woke up to the sound of wind rushing in the window behind him. As he looked around groggily, he noticed that he and Lightning had fallen asleep together on the couch. He looked down at her sulkily, mussing her hair up while she slept soundly.

"You are such a complicated girl," he murmured. "Too much baggage… I am a masochist…" he added, laughing at his own stupid joke.

"Struck out?" he heard behind him, and he whizzed around, almost screaming when he saw who was there. It was Vanitas, staring at him from the darkness of the kitchen. The yellow eyes glowed dully from in the darkness, giving him an eerie presence. The eyes moved to the end table near the couch, and on it was an envelope of papers. Reno gaped as he looked from the papers to Vanitas.

"Are these-?" he began incredulously, and heard a chuckle from Vanitas. "Check it out for yourself," the shadow murmured, and Reno gently slipped out from under Lightning's grasp, lying her gently on the couch before bounding over to the envelope before peeking into it. He gasped at what he saw, and looked up at Vanitas, dumbfound.

"What made you do it?" Reno breathed, inciting another chuckle from Vanitas. "You're very persuasive," the boy said jokingly. Then he hesitated, before moving out from the shadows. He took a long look at Reno, and then moved over and kissed the redhead intensely, sending shivers up and down Reno's spine and giving him a mental block. When the young man pulled away, he kept his hands on either side of Reno's head, and looked away momentarily, assessing his feelings. Then, those yellow eyes moved back and smiled mischievously at Reno.

"Uh, um… what was… what was that… for?" Reno said, half scared for his life, and almost half confused, and perhaps about two percent aroused, to his dissatisfaction. Vanitas laughed out loud, not caring that Lightning was just a few feet away from him.

"For being kind. I don't get it very much," Vanitas added, letting go of Reno's face and moving towards the window. Reno stumbled towards him, making Vanitas turn around and grin. "What? You looking for another one?"

Reno snorted. "I can't let you leave," he muttered weakly, between slight chuckles, and this really made Vanitas laugh, making Lightning stir in her sleep. When she had gone completely back to sleep, Vanitas turned back to Reno. "You're not going to make me stay and you know it," Vanitas snickered, and Reno nodded to himself, agreeing with the boy.

"Well, just… don't cause any trouble- for us, anyway," Reno warned. The boy laughed quietly. "I can't guarantee that. But when I've gotten stronger- I will return. Maybe I'll pay you a visit in your airport," he added.

"Please don't," Reno replied.

Vanitas shook his head, smiling in a content, but excited way. Then, he winked at Reno, and slipped out the window. Reno tried to assess what he'd just done, and his shoulders fell as he realized that he'd just let the most wanted criminal in the bureau get away from him. He practiced his lying face a little bit, before waking up Lightning.

"What is it?" she said suddenly, still groggy but getting alert quite quickly.

"You'll never believe it, I woke up and this was in my hands," Reno said breathlessly. Lightning took the envelope from him and skimmed through it, gasping at the information inside.

"Who gave this to you?" she asked seriously, and Reno hesitated, before shrugging. "I have no idea!" he said, badly lying. "But I think this was from Vanitas."

Lightning looked from page to page, and a note fell out from the papers. It was typed.

"_A present from Vanitas. You have your man now. Happy?" _

She snorted, still thoroughly irritated with the boy. "Well there's a mature way of stating it." She eyed Reno suspiciously, no doubt knowing in her heart that he was lying through his teeth. He seemed to become very interested with the material on the couch, and something inside her told her not to pursue the subject. Reno had always had an odd connection with Vanitas that she could not understand. So she left it be.

"Let's get this to the office," she said in excitement, pulling on her coat. Reno followed her, rolling his eyes as he went out.

…..

Xehanort had been shaving when the bureau investigators had come to his house to arrest him. He had not expected it at all, but he got early word of it from Kadaj, who was not yet at the house. Xehanort gritted his teeth as he came to terms with the fact that most likely, his old 'ambassador' had been the one to turn him in.

"Useless swine!" he hissed to himself, running downstairs in a fury. He could not get any where in time though, before Lightning and Reno arrested him, Reno tackling him to the ground, 'just in case he planned on escaping'. He put up a heavy protest until Reno showed him the paperwork Vanitas had brought in, and then he stayed silent, in a rage.

Lightning and Reno drove ahead of the heavily guarded car that held the old man, smiling widely at each other as they drove him over to the bureau. Reno was strangely uncomfortable, though, in between smiles he looked ahead with an almost wistful gaze.

"What's wrong?" Lightning asked, and Reno shrugged. "Nothing. It's just these guys always seem to have a plan…"

Not seconds after he said this, a man on a motorcycle pulled up beside the car holding Xehanort, and took a small electrical saw in his hand, running it down the side of the backseat passenger's door. Then, the door opened, and Xehanort was pulled out of the car and onto the motorcycle. The motorcycle quickly veered off down a side road and disappeared.

"Holy shit!" Reno barked, swerving to follow them down the alley. It was a bumpy road, and Reno honked for them to stop, calling in reinforcements to meet them at the end of the alley.

Something flew out of the back of the truck and Reno felt his tires being punctured. The car swerved and they were forced to stop, leaving Reno to curse and pace as they waited for someone to pick them up. Lightning hopped out of the car after Reno, peering down the alleyway to see what direction the motorcycle had gone. Going over in front of the car, she noticed that huge tacks had been set down to mess up the tires. She chuckled without thinking about it. "They chose the more 'refined' way to go, it seems. At least they didn't shoot at us again," Lightning added, remembering the time that Hojo and Max had been shot. She scratched the back of her head, knowing how useless it was to fret over what had happened. It was stupid not to see something like it coming, but it was done now. In the blink of an eye, it had been done.

"We should have been more careful!" Reno barked to himself, rubbing his head in slight disbelief. Lightning sighed. "How much more careful could we have been?" she asked. Reno stopped at this, and shrugged. "We could have had him in our car," he muttered. He and Lightning stood there for a moment, and Lightning hugged him tightly, seeing how disappointed he was.

"I can't believe it! So fast… we had him and then he was gone in seconds…"

"The hunt for that man will last for a long time, Reno," she said comfortingly, trying her best not to condemn Reno. "At least now, we know that he is guilty. We still haven't searched his personal library, yet."

Reno nodded to himself rapidly, pursing his lips before continuing. "Yeah," he mumbled, "we need to get over there fast, just in case."

They both heard the sound of a car coming towards them, and they were picked up, before speeding back to Xehanort's house in order to search it thoroughly.

…

Aqua drove up to Castle Oblivion, with boxes of books in tow. Two weeks ago, Xehanort had been convicted of a countless number of crimes, but was now on the run. Vanitas had disappeared, too, and Aqua could only hope that the two would not come back their way again.

The books in the back of the car had been his, ancient books that he had acquired over the years from key blade masters and collectors he had come into contact with. There was also a hefty supply of books that were in the great Ansem the Wise's possession before he was forced out of his home. She was surprised that they had come to her this quickly from Yen Sid, who had said that she would know where they belonged.

When she got to the castle, Aqua wheeled all the books in, going up to the familiar room that had held Ventus when she had gone to fight Terra.

"I don't know where the library is, so I guess I can leave these here," she said quietly, setting the books along the wall. To her surprise, the wall moved back, and the books went downward, into wherever Aqua expected the secret library to be. And then, there was a mighty clicking sound, and Aqua knew that the books taken by Xehanort for his own purposes were back where they finally belonged.

Aqua turned the radio on as she drove back towards Twilight Town, wondering how Ventus' arm was doing. It was slowly healing up, and things seemed to be toning down, finally. She hummed as she drove down between the fields of grass that dominated the landscape, and looked hopefully up at the sky that was ever blue.

Grabbing the steering wheel tighter, Aqua realized that men like Xehanort were always going to be around. She would just have to be ready for them when they cropped up, and be ready to protect her friends.

"Terra, I won't fail you again," she murmured, and the sun beat down on the car, and a wind swept through the landscape, a wind that blew from the direction of the Keyblade Graveyard.


	23. The End Part II

Xemnas walked out into the familiar room where inmates had a chance to talk to their families. He scanned the crowd, looking for a familiar face, but there was none. He breathed out a sigh of relief. He was half expecting to see his father, even though he knew that was near in possible, or even his new assistant, Kadaj. Xemnas hadn't heard from his father for a little over a year now. He was continuing his jail sentence, which was not as bad, oddly enough, now that he knew he had not chance of getting out unless he behaved. He worked hard, and honestly didn't know what he would do when he got out. He had never been his own person before.

Every night he had talked to a shadow, that he liked to try and imagine was Aqua. Like a lingering presence, he spoke with her, asked her how she was doing, told her about how he was doing. Sometimes he wondered if he was going crazy. But he didn't want to think that way. He didn't want to think about her.

As these thoughts harangued him, he continued to scan the room for some kind of face, whichever face was there for him. There was an empty table at the back of the room, and a young, beautiful green-eyed man with light brown, shaved hair stared off into the sunshine that radiated from out the window. He felt Xemnas staring at him, and turned to meet eyes with the man, before smiling at him and beckoning for him to come over. Xemnas sat in front of him curiously, and the man chuckled.

"Aren't you going to congratulate me on my twentieth birthday?" the young man murmured, and Xemnas blinked at him, not quite understanding. "I'm sorry. I don't know who you are."

"Of course you don't," the man cooed, looking up at him through thick dark eyelashes. There was a glow in his eyes. He grinned at Xemnas. "Take a guess," he hissed, leaning back so that Xemnas could look at him.

Xemnas' eyes swept over his lean, muscular frame, settling oddly on a tattoo that was peeking out from the sleeve of his sleeveless shirt. The young man caught Xemnas staring at it, and chuckling, pulling aside his shirt to reveal his left breast. A white centipede snaked around his nipple, with its head turned towards the nipple and its tail near where his armpit was. "You like it?" the man asked, putting his shirt back. "I got it when I was traveling. It's personal, though. Maybe I'll tell you about it sometime. By the way do you like my eyes?" the young man said as his eyes were drawn to the sunlight again, and Xemnas could see now, the tiniest bit of yellow shimmering through what must have been a pair of blue contacts.

"Were your eyes too bright for the things to fully cover it?" Xemnas asked suddenly, and the man nodded. "You should have seen the brown contacts. It shone right through them. You would've thought the darker the contact; the more it would cover my eyes. But I was wrong. These ones are better," he added in a whisper, pointing to his eyes. Xemnas finally chuckled, realizing fully who was sitting in front of him.

"Welcome back, masked boy," he said almost inaudibly, and Vanitas frowned gravely. "That's gone now," he growled. "I am my own person now. I don't belong to anyone anymore, don't have to depend on anyone anymore."

"What's it like?" Xemnas asked. Vanitas thought about it for a moment, before shrugging. "It's pretty fucking nice," he finally replied, grinning mischievously at Xemnas. "But I didn't come here to chat with you about nothing," he added. "I was wondering if you knew anything about your father," he said simply. Xemnas shook his head. "No. He hasn't spoken to me since he disappeared. How could he?"

Vanitas furrowed his eyebrows, nodding to himself. Then, his attention was drawn back to Xemnas. "Does anyone come to visit you?"

Xemnas shook his head and Vanitas nodded again in return.

"Do you know how the old organization members are doing?" he asked abruptly. Xemnas shrugged. "I hear that they're all okay. Apparently Namine got her money back and bought the Twin Peaks."

Vanitas gaped at Xemnas, before nodding to himself with a grin. "Good girl," he whispered to himself, impressed, and then he beamed. "I haven't done nearly as well as her. I'll give it a little more time, and then I'll come back."

"Vanitas, what are you going to do about Xehanort?" Xemnas asked in curiosity. Vanitas stopped moving abruptly, and narrowed his eyes at the man in front of him. "I don't know yet. I thought half-heartedly that he would get caught. I don't see that it's my responsibility to get rid of him, though. That's for Ventus and his friends to take care of."

"You're just going to disappear?" Xemnas snapped, making Vanitas laugh.

"The greatest disappear, but they're never gone."

"Have you turned into a philosopher in the time that we've been apart?" Xemnas chuckled. Vanitas smiled coldly. "No. I've just come to understand things a little bit better," there was a pause, before Vanitas stood up abruptly, adding, "I have to go," before holding out his hand for Xemnas to shake.

"Nice talking to you, hope you'll be out soon," Vanitas said brightly, beaming with a fake smile. Xemnas returned a smaller smile, examining the young man closely. Then, Vanitas was off. Xemnas watched the young man as he left the room, moving with a new sense of self that was intriguing.

Then, Vanitas stopped suddenly, turning around to face Xemnas as if he forgot something. "By the way," he chirped, "you might have a little competition, now that Aqua's prince might be back and all."

Xemnas looked up in alarm, gaping a little bit. "What prince?" he snapped, but Vanitas just smiled devilishly at him. "You know very well," he hissed, and turned. "Where did you get that information?" Xemnas asked in reply, but Vanitas just began to hum, and left the room.

Xemnas sat in silence, until he was brought back to his cell. For a few hours, he sat, pondering the situation, not quite taking in what was going on. Then, he noticed the shadow on his wall. Slowly, it began to shape from himself, into that of Aqua, sitting right at the edge of his bed. It was her silhouette.

"Hello old friend," he said softly, smiling. "How are you?"

The shadow did not reply, just gazed at him as he gazed at it.

"I wonder where Vanitas got his information. Why did he come to me to toy with me? Is he stirring up trouble?"

Xemnas counted the years until he would be out, and groaned. He would be too old to do anything by the time he got out. What would he be… forty? How old would Aqua be?

"Is it absolutely impossible for us to be friends again?" he whispered. No reply. Then, he became angry, and banged his fist on the bed, his face contorted as he bared his teeth. "Just trying to stir up trouble, as always!" he hissed. Then, he softened, becoming silent. The sun was finally setting, setting on another day in a cell. As Vanitas probably rode away on a motorcycle, feeling the wind blow in his face. Or maybe he didn't have a motorcycle. Where would he have gotten a motorcycle anyway?

Whenever Xemnas imagined Vanitas, he imagined him riding a motorcycle through the Key blade Graveyard. Usually he'd be riding towards it, like a memory. But this time, he was riding away from it, shirtless, with black leather pants and boots, grinning widely with that white centipede pulsating across his chest, circling around his left nipple. His eyes shone yellow, brighter than usual, and they had a crazy look to them, like a caged animal just set free, manic. And his hair was shaved off, but it was still black, like his eyelashes and eyebrows.

It was an odd image, and Xemnas internally congratulated Vanitas for what he had accomplished. Vanitas had always been like a discarded limb of Xehanort. He was never meant to be free. And now he was. And here Xemnas was, in a cell. And his father was somewhere, in the dark, hiding.

As Xemnas puzzled on the way of things, the night came over the jail, and over all of the land, signaling that things were coming to a lull, that things would be calm for a while, if not simply on the surface.


	24. Epilogue: The Letter

_Dear Aqua,_

_Hi. I know that you're coming back here the day after tomorrow with all your stuff, but I just thought I'd send you a letter for the hell of it. Namine drew a picture and I asked if I could have it, and she said yes. So it's attached. Fuck. I guess the real reason I'm writing to you is because I miss you. There, I fucking said it. Now you can fucking gloat. _

_But, the other reason I'm writing this to you is because you missed this really awesome garden party at Aerith's. I think that she and her forever fiancé Zack are finally getting married soon. We've all been invited, including you. So you should come. But I didn't have to tell you that, because you'll just hear about it the day after tomorrow. _

_Everyone was generally able to catch up, so I'll sum up what everyone is doing, because you won't be able to find out unless you call all of them, which I know you wouldn't do. _

_Basically everyone is back in college. Namine announced that she was buying the Twin Peaks. Can you believe it? The fucking twin peaks! She bought it from that chemical company and she's taking all the experimentation stuff out of the ground underneath the peaks. I think she's going to plant new cherry trees on it. I think she blew all the money she got back. She's different, it's like she's a little more restless. _

_But, I can't believe your last year in your law office is going to be finished today! You'll finally be able to come back. Namine offered her new place to you, if you wanted to stay. _

_In other news, apparently Axel's brother Reno is finally settling back into his old job. I don't know if I told you that because he caught Xehanort, they figured they'd let him keep his old job instead of being a customs officer. He's still living in Midgar. Lightning came to the garden party, but she announced suddenly that she was going back to her hometown, that they needed her. She said she probably wouldn't come back for a long time. Reno was shocked. They had a private conversation and something else was said, but Reno wouldn't talk about it. I think he's heartbroken. He and Axel just can't seem to get a break._

_His friend Max is the new head of the City That Never Was Investigation Bureau headquarters. The crime's gone way down, it's great. Mr. Silver has been in jail, too, along with Xemnas and apparently Croc was finally figured out. Lea's getting really good at fruitball, or whatever he's playing. I think he's been scouted for a professional team. Things are still awkward between us. I think that they'll always be. _

_Yuffie's still pretty beat up about Loz leaving. He said he was too 'serious' for her. I think they couldn't deal with what happened with Kadaj. Maybe her and Leon will get together. At one point, it seemed like he and Namine were set to get together, but it kind of fizzled out for some reason. They still date occasionally, though. Xion and Roxas seemed set to fucking marry. You should see them together. They're like one person. Axel still loves Roxas of course, and he asks about you all the time. Bitch. I'm just kidding: D. Oh, and apparently Axel's friend Demyx and his old girlfriend Kairi have officially split up. Kairi took a break from her solo career to finish high school and go to college though, and Demyx is finishing high school this year. He wants to go to college too. They still like each other, though. It's so obvious. They just messed up. _

_Xehanort and Vanitas are still missing. I have nightmares about them sometimes, especially Vanitas, but I really don't think that he'll come back. He doesn't have anything to come back for, does he? _

_And you ask about me? Well, I'll go ahead and tell you. Me and Riku are miraculously still together. I still can't believe that he actually likes me after everything. I try not to get all lovey dovey with him like Xion and Roxas do with each other because it's gross. And I'm getting better. I went to a psychiatrist and started talking about the hurt, and the beating and rapes and stuff, and I feel happier. But I only talk about Vanitas to Riku- no one else. Riku is really patient with me when I get depressed. He's a really good guy. I'm lucky. And I miss you a lot. If I had both of you, then things would be fucking peachy, haha. I learned that from Riku. He's so fucking gay. Haha!_

_I don't think that Axel would have been that great for me. Not the way he was, anyway. Oh shit, did I tell you he cut his hair? It's like fucking shaved now; it's weird! Sora cried. Axel said he was entering a new stage of his life and wanted to grow up. I can tell he misses his hair, though. He'll grow it out don't worry. In like three years it'll be back the way it was before. His hair grows fucking fast. _

_This letter is embarrassingly long, so I think that I'll end it here. The outdoor dinner was a really great night. Fireflies were coming out, and everyone was trying to catch them like they were kids (mainly Sora, though) and everyone started to dance abruptly, and then the guy Cid, the old man, he started to cry._

_And he said something really strange, but really touching. I still think about it every once in a while, and I know everyone else does, too. _

_He said, "it didn't turn out the way I fantasized it, but fantasies never do justice do the real thing, do they?" And it doesn't sound like much on paper, but the way he said it, and the moment, it was just so right, you know? It was perfect. And I know now that all the times we all dreamed about being key blade masters and being loved and everything, it never happens the way we expect it. I love everything right now, Aqua. Shit fuck piss. I'm crying. Fuck a tear fell on the page. Fuck. You'll get mad at me for cussing so much but I don't give a fuck. Chide me in person. I love it when you give out to me. I love you Aqua and I can't wait to see you._

_Well, you better keep this fucking letter because I just poured out my soul to you and it's never going to happen again. Unless something this perfect happens again. Then, I guess I'll give it another shot. _

_I miss you and the hours couldn't be any longer till the day you get back home. _

_Love, _

_Ventus_


	25. IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!

ATTENTION ALL READERS OF KINGDOM HEARTS ALTERNATE THE SEQUEL.

THIS STORY IS UNDERGOING A **MASSIVE REEDIT**. IF NO ONE CARES I WILL **TAKE DOWN THE ORIGINAL** AND **PUT UP THE NEW VERSION**. **IF YOU DO CARE, TELL ME** AND I'LL LEAVE UP **BOTH** THE OLD AND THE NEW. I WILL FINISH THE IN-BETWEEN SOMEDAY, JUST NOT RIGHT NOW.

AND BY REEDIT I MEAN **REEDIT. **I AM **CUTTING** AT LEAST **A FOURTH** FROM EACH CHAPTER AND I AM GOING TO **DIVIDE THE STORY IN TWO**. IT WILL HAVE THE SAME CONTENT BUT IT WILL BE **MASSIVELY REORGANIZED**.

**PREPARE TO BE AMAZED**. I AM OFF HIATUS AGAIN.


End file.
